Taken By The Amazon
by Saiyon
Summary: Bella is abandoned by the Cullens, and in order to get away from Forks and the memories the town held, she goes on a summer trip to the Amazon. It's there that her little expedition group is attacked, and she meets the Amazon coven. Zafrina/Bella.
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Note: Hey guys, I'm sorry I haven't updated recently, I've been having trouble writing. I know this idea is kinda weird, but it's been stuck in my head, and I figured I might as well give you all something instead of making you wait longer while I struggled to write something for my other stories. Thanks for your patience!_

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Chapter 1

Bella was abandoned by the Cullens. It hurt, it had seriously hurt. The people she had thought of as family had all left her, because one boy had decided that she was better off alone, out of danger, and human. It took weeks for Bella to get over it all. After Sam found her in the forest, she had started hanging out at La Push more, trying to get over the betrayal. The boys there had gotten her through the pain, Jacob especially so. But the Cullens were always there, in the back of her mind, always ready to add a nice dose of pain to an otherwise pleasant day.

In the end, Bella had to get away from it all. It wasn't like she could just lock her memories in a box of something; and she couldn't go back to her mom and Phil. Most of all, she just couldn't stay in Forks. Bella would come back later, of course, to finish high school. It wasn't like she was just giving up on everything. But summer vacation was the perfect time to take a break, maybe explore something or somewhere, and just live in the moment. No Cullens, no Forks, just Bella and...something.

It didn't take long to convince Charlie that she needed to go on vacation. Bella had saved up a lot of money, she was responsible, and Charlie knew how desperately Bella had to get away. However, Bella was still Charlie's little girl, so he gave her his own money, and told her she was going to a place where an old friend of his could keep an eye on her, just in case. Apparently, the guy ran some program that had little expeditions into the Amazon.

That's how Bella ended up on a plane, heading for the Amazon Rainforest. Well, the plane headed for Manaus. Then she had to meet up with some guy named Chip at the airport, where she would then take a long, bumpy car ride to the campsite, and everyone would decide where to go from there.

What kind of name was Chip, anyways?

Bella's plane arrived a little late, but collecting her suitcase was quick and easy. Then she walked towards the exit, looking for a sign with her name on it.

It took Bella seconds to find it. A grumpy, irritable looking guy in his early twenties was holding up a sign that said "Isabella Swan" in large, blocky letters. He was blonde and incredibly tanned, and maybe a little cute, if he stopped looking so annoyed about the entire situation.

"Hey, Chip?" Bella asked, stepping up to him. A part of her hoped she was wrong, and that this was just some random guy, no matter how stupid that hope was. What could she say? She just really didn't like the guy, and did not, under any circumstances, want to spend even a ten minute car ride with him. And this car ride was going to be a lot longer.

The man turned to Bella, and immediately, he lit up at the sight of her. Putting on his most charming grin, he held out his hand and said, "Yeah, that's me. Isabella Swan?"

"Bella," Bella corrected, gingerly taking his hand. As she did, his eyes ran up and down her body in a pretty disgusting manner, openly leering at her.

Bella dropped her hand and resisted the urge to wipe it on her jeans. She just felt so disgusting after all of it.

"Right," Chip said, his gaze glued to her breasts. His eyes had never made it to her face. "If you'll come with me, I'll take you to the car." He then pulled the luggage right out of her hand and carried it away.

Okay, it was official; she really didn't like the guy. But hey, the trip could only go up from here, right? Wrong. It was a four hour drive to the campsite, and Chip spent every moment of it trying to "sex" Bella up, talk his way into her pants, and even attempted to put his hand on her leg a few times. He grew increasingly irritated as Bella made it clear, through words and actions, that she wasn't interested, and after what felt like an eternity later, Bella was all too willing to just throw herself out of the car and walk the rest of the way.

However, they arrived at the campsite just in time. Bella threw open the door and jumped out before the car even came to a full stop, and she had her luggage in hand and was hurrying towards the grey haired man Charlie had shown her a picture of within minutes. It was around this time that Chip was getting out of the car, and he had no idea where Bella had gone off to.

"Hello, I'm Bella Swan," Bella said, a little breathless from her bit of exercise. "Charlie Swan's daughter. I'm here for a tour or expedition…?" The last was said as a question, as Charlie had never gotten around to giving her the details about what exactly she would be doing in the Amazon.

"Ah, of course!" the man said excitedly, wrapping Bella in a very large, tight hug and all but squeezing the breath out of her. "You've gotten so big!"

Bella hadn't even known that this man had met her before, but she just went with it, nodding and smiling throughout the hug. Apparently, the hug caused a huge commotion, because she saw Chip notice her and start walking towards them before Bella was even set back on her feet. "So, when can we get this show on the road, Dr. Harris?" she asked a little too eagerly, wanting to get away from Chip sooner rather than later.

"Please, Bella, call me Greg. And we can have you on a boat on the Amazon River within two hours when you decide to go. But surely, you'd want to rest first? The plane ride was very long, was it not? We have places you can sleep."

"No! No, not at all. I'm wide awake. The sooner I can start taking pictures or whatever, the better." Not to mention, she already didn't trust Chip to try something.

"Oh, well aren't you eager?" Greg said with a chuckle. "Then we'll start working on preparing you. Ah, and here's one of your tour guides. I take it you got to know each other well on the trip over here? Chip is one of our best guides."

"Huh?" Bella felt her heart drop as Chip grinned down at her, looking more than a little triumphant. "Is that...is that so…" No way. No way was she going to be spending this entire trip with this dickwad.

"Oh, we didn't get to know each other that well," Chip said, never taking his eyes off of Bella. "But I'm sure we'll get to know each other much better soon. Isn't that right, Isabella?"

"Bella," Bella spat, glaring up at him.

Greg, who seemed oblivious to it all, clapped his hands excitedly. "Excellent! Well, Bella wants to get going as soon as possible. Why don't you and Harriet get everything set up? I'll take care of preparing Bella, and then the three of you can start walking over to the boat."

"Great," Chip said, flashing another grin. Bella echoed the word, not nearly as excited. She felt bad, but she was happy that another woman would be coming along. Not just because she wouldn't be alone with Chip, but because maybe Chip would turn or even focus his attention on Harriet instead of her.

Even though Bella knew it was inevitable, she tried to slow down the whole preparation thing. It was stupid; the only way she could actually get away from Chip permanently is if she just backed out of the whole trip, demanded to be driven back to the airport, and then waited for an airplane home. In other words, she would have to chicken out and go back to Forks.

That was so not going to happen.

Eventually, Bella was considered prepped in the very best way, and felt like she was being weighed down by fifty pounds of bricks, while sitting in an oven. Yes, bugs were no longer trying to suck every last drop of blood out of her, and she was now thoroughly protected from the sun, but still. She was covered in such thick, heavy clothing that all but suffocated her, to the point she was feeling a little too willing to offer herself up for the bugs' next meal.

On the bright side of things, Chip looked quite unhappy to have nothing to properly drool over.

Before the group set off, Bella was properly introduced to Harriet. Well, not quite properly, as Harriet wasn't exactly the talkative sort. Here's what happened. Bella was all but dragged over to where a brown haired woman, who was even shorter than Bella, stood. Her hair was cut much shorter than Bella's, but it was shaggier, covering most of her features, and she didn't look up when Greg stopped a good foot away.

"Bella, this is Harriet. Harriet, Bella. Harriet is also quite knowledgeable about the Amazon, and I'm sure you two will get along greatly. You'll have a great time," Greg said, his voice booming despite his low volume.

"Hey," Bella said, sticking out her hand for the other brunette to shake. "It's nice to meet you."

"Hi," Harriet replied, so softly Bella wasn't even sure if she heard it or not. She never looked up at Bella, and certainly never took Bella's hand. Eventually, Bella let her hand drop, and the two women fell into an uneasy silence.

"Now!" Greg continued cheerfully, unaffected by the less than spectacular meeting. "Why don't I just hand you two off to Chip. Since you're new to all this, Bella, he'll tell you the rules."

"Right," Bella agreed, trying not to sound like too much of a killjoy. She thought she caught Harriet mouth the words, but she didn't think any sound actually came out of the other woman's mouth.

Greg left, and Chip took over. "Now, the most important rule is that you do anything I say. And I mean _anything,_ " as he said this, he leered openly at Bella, making it clear he wasn't just going to tell her things that would affect her safety.

"We'll see about that," Bella muttered, glaring openly at Chip. Harriet, of course, didn't say a word.

Chip scowled, then turned around and stormed off; apparently he was done with the safety lecture. It was only when Harriet followed, and the two went off into the trees, that Bella realized she was supposed to follow.

"Great. Isn't this going to be fun," Bella grumbled to herself as she hurriedly followed after them. Of course, roots, trees, and ground was never a good thing for Bella, and she found herself tripping. A lot. She was always quite a few paces behind the other two, and despite all the noise she was making, they never looked back to check on her.

On plenty of occasions, she considered going back to the campsite, maybe complaining to Greg and switching tour guides. Of course, by the first time she considered that, they were already deep in the forest and Bella knew if she tried to go back to the campsite, she'd just get lost, and probably eaten.

So, she had a problem. She couldn't go back, but because of her clumsiness, she couldn't go after them at a very fast pace either. The harder she tried, the more often she fell, and while she wasn't sure about Harriet, Chip was apparently too butthurt to actually look out for the seventeen year old he was put in charge of. Actually, now that Bella thought about it, Chip reminded her a lot of Mike. The two men were probably brothers, separated at birth or something; they were so alike.

Great. Like the thought of Mike was supposed to get Bella's mind off of Forks and the Cull-

Whoa, no. Not going there. Not going there, Bella. Stop it.

Still, somehow, despite her difficulties, she managed to keep track of Chip and Harriet. No thanks to them, and since Bella refused to call out or ask for help from the woman or the dickwad, she didn't help herself much either.

The sound of animal calls and rushing water found its way to Bella's ears as she followed them into a clearing and got her first sight of the Amazon River. She would have thought everything was beautiful, if she wasn't so pissed off at what had happened so far. So she picked up the camera that was around her neck with bloody palms-she did not come out of her falls unscathed-and took a few pictures of the surrounding area so she could appreciate it later.

"It took you long enough," Chip said, barely glancing back at her from where he and Harriet were already sitting in the boat. "You need to keep up if you want us to get anywhere and keep you safe. Now come on."

Bella opened her mouth to say something, but then decided it would be better to bite her tongue. So she climbed into the boat, nearly falling into the water in the process, before she fell right into Chip. He took advantage of the moment to grope her tits, so Bella punched him right in the face. She got her own blood on him too, both on his face and in his hair, which pleased her to no end.

Chip looked ready to hit her back, but then took a deep breath and took hold of the boat's steering wheel. Harriet handed him a napkin so he could wipe his face, earning her a smile. But the woman didn't give anything to Bella, who was actually fucking bleeding.

Okay, it was official; Harriet was a bitch.

Thankfully, Bella came prepared, and pulled a gauze and some bandages from her humongous backpack to wrap around her hands, staunching the blood flow. She sat as far away from the two as she could, and started taking pictures in silence as Chip started the boat and got going.

Sure, she was stuck with the worst possible company that she'd ever had in her entire life, but Bella would be damned if she let that ruin everything. Hell, maybe she'd get lucky and get to go on another trip into the Amazon, without Bastard and Bitch.

One could only hope. But after all Bella had been through, she wasn't about to give that hope up anytime soon.


	2. Chapter 2

_Author's Note: Here's another chapter since I was on a bit of a roll, and as an extra thanks to everyone. Hope you guys enjoy it._

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Chapter 2

It was only an hour into the tour, and Bella was taking pictures like her life depended on it. Chip was only steering the little motor boat, and nobody was giving her any information on anything around them. So Bella had decided it was up to her to make the best and learn from her experience. She even took pictures of plants to look up later, since the Amazon didn't have any cell service.

Despite her horrible tour guides, Bella couldn't deny that the Amazon was a beautiful place. There was just so much to see, so much to hear...it actually took her mind off of the Cullens.

Well, it did until now.

Anyways, Bella was in heaven. A heaven where she could pretend she was alone on a boat, blissfully alone. She couldn't let her guard down too much though, because she knew, despite its beauty, the Amazon was a dangerous place. And she had the Amazon's most disgusting predator right there in the boat with her. A predator who didn't seem to understand that groping a teenage girl was a bad idea, and that she was going to report him to Gregg the second she got back from her trip. She even had evidence to back her up.

Yes, Chip had tried again during the boat "tour." And yes, Bella had made it very clear that she wasn't interested; all while sneakily taking pictures of him touching her inappropriately. Even if he could somehow convince the other people that she wanted it; she was still a minor, and Bella knew she'd get him punished one way or another.

Bella gasped with excitement when she caught sight of a bright, blue bird, and quickly took a picture as it flew above her. Chip made a scoffing sound and made it clear he was rolling his eyes, but nothing could ruin Bella's mood.

Then, the peaceful energy of the Amazon disappeared. Birds took to the air like there was no tomorrow, and all kinds of animals were screeching. Then, the amazon got strangely, incredibly quiet. Not a single sound could be heard; even the river seemed to still.

The situation was so strange, that Chip actually stopped the boat, muttering, "What the hell?" He got up, balancing, and looked around. He was clearly tense, and Bella realized that he was gripping a knife.

At any other time, Bella would have been pretty worried that he had a knife, and wondered how long he had been holding it in his hand. However, she was so unnerved that she didn't care he had it. At least now there was a better chance of being safe. Or, you know, Chip getting attacked and mauled before she did.

What could she say? If Bella had to die, she'd at least prefer watching Chip die first.

Something happened. Bella wasn't sure what at first, but there were suddenly three brown skinned women crouching on the boat. One looked up, meeting her eyes, and Bella felt her heart stop in her chest.

A part of her couldn't believe what was happening. She had gone to the Amazon to escape her memories of the Cullens, only to all but walk into the arms of a different coven of vampires. And these weren't vegetarians.

Bella heard a hiss, and turned just in time to find the other two vampires lunging at her. She screamed, holding up her hands, as if that would actually protect her from a group of bloodthirsty vampires.

Apparently something worked, because someone spoke a sharp word in another language, and Bella found that she wasn't dead. She wasn't even dying. There was some more screams which were soon cut short, as well as some dull thudding sounds.

Hesitantly, Bella looked up, lowering her hands, only to find a gruesome sight.

The three vampires were feeding, and feeding heavily. Two of them had their mouths latched onto Chip. One was holding him from behind, her head bent, mouth on the right side of his neck. The other one was at his side, a hand resting on his chest, which struggled for each breath, as she drank from the left side of his neck.

He didn't even have the strength to struggle. And Bella stared right into his face, twisted into a mask of pain and horror, as the life left his eyes. Bella couldn't have said, if she could have spoken in the first place, that she was sad to see him die.

A loud splash caught Bella's attention, and Bella turned to find that the third vampire had dumped Harriet-well, most likely Harriet's body-right over the edge of the boat. Bella wasn't sad to know that Harriet was gone either, and she vaguely wondered what type of person that made her. Then the vampire turned to Bella, and Bella realized what was about to happen.

Oh my god. I'm going to die, Bella thought in a daze, already resigned to her fate as the vampire strode over to Bella with slow, purposeful steps. She was already partially resigned to her death, but at the same time, she obviously wanted to live. Or at least to die peacefully. After all, there was no way she was going to manage to escape from a vampire.

Before she could think to make a verbal request that she at least be killed before they drank from her, the vampire who had killed Harriet was crouching in front of her. There was another splash as Chip's body was thrown into the river, but Bella barely noticed, hypnotized by the vampire's bright red eyes. So hypnotized, in fact, that she couldn't even take the time to examine the woman's other features. Bella's mouth opened, but no sound came out. Not so much as a squeak, even when the vampire took hold of one of her wrists and unwrapped the bandages from Bella's hand.

Never breaking eye contact with the human, the vampire lifted Bella's palm to her lips and licked the dried blood off of the cuts. She let out a sound of pleasure, somewhere between a moan and a purr, and licked Bella's hand again.

Bella didn't flinch. She wasn't sure she even blinked. Not while the vampire licked Bella's hand clean, then repeated the process of unwrapping and licking Bella's other hand. It had to have been the vampire's eyes. Those red orbs just had something about them, something that made it impossible to fight or even look away. Then again, maybe all vampires could do that. Hell if Bella knew; it wasn't like the Cullens ever taught her anything important.

Damn it. She did not want her last thought to be about them. She tried to turn her thoughts to something else, but it was impossible. The more she tried to stop thinking about the Cullens, the more she thought of them, and the more frustrated she got, which only made her want to, quite creatively, cuss the Cullens out.

"Zafrina," the woman said in a soft, silken voice, pressing one of Bella's hands to the vampire's chest. Bella blinked up at her in confusion. Not just because she had no idea what was going on, but because she realized her hands were freshly bandaged.

Behind her, one of the other vampires spoke, and Zafrina replied to them in a commanding voice. Of course, not a single word of it was in English; so Bella was still as lost as ever.

Then, the vampire leaned in, sniffing softly at Bella's neck. Once again, Bella's heart stopped. The vampire probably heard it stop, but Bella doubted that the vampire cared. Then the brush of the vampire's lips on Bella's neck jump started Bella's heart and got it working again, and Bella truly expected to feel teeth sink into her skin.

It never came.

Instead, the vampire leaned away with a soft sigh and looked away, and Bella could have sworn she heard her mutter, in English, "And I truly believed I never wanted one." Then the vampire looked back at her, cupping Bella's face in one hand as she once again put Bella's hand on her chest with the other. "Zafrina."

Oh. Was this vampire telling Bella her name? But why? Bella doubted that any of the vampires had told Harriet and Chip their names before they had killed them.

Bella felt Zafrina's thumb on her lower lip, and once again focused on Zafrina's eyes. Big mistake, as Bella once again had trouble thinking. "Well? Say it," Zafrina ordered, pressing on Bella's lip a little firmer.

"Zafrina?" Bella said in a soft voice, the word coming out as a question. The vampire let out a growl, it sounded almost as if in frustration, but her head fell onto Bella's shoulder, and Bella felt an arm slip around her middle.

Never before had Bella felt so uncomfortable. She was almost about to beg for them to kill her already, but then realized these vampires could be like James. Bella really didn't want to go through that torture again; and if she begged for them to kill her, they might prolong it just to be cruel.

"Zafrina," the other vampire spoke again, and the woman holding Bella relaxed her hold as the woman spoke a few more words.

With a sigh, Zafrina pulled back once more. "You will be saying my name countless times in the future, but that is not what I am telling you to do," Zafrina said in a heavily accented voice, once again gazing into Bella's eyes. Damn it, did she have to do that? Then Zafrina made it worse by once again placing her finger on Bella's bottom lip. Only this time, she added more pressure than before, pressure that gave Bella no choice but to take the finger into her mouth or turn away. Not wanting to anger the vampire, Bella took the digit into her mouth, wondering what in the heck was going on.

Immediately, Zafrina's eyes darkened to pitch black, and her finger froze, making Bella freeze as well. Great, just great. She had tried so hard not to piss the vampire off, but had only managed to piss her off anyways. Could her luck get any worse?

In a carefully controlled fashion, Zafrina removed her finger as Bella stared, still frozen, now even holding her breath. Then Zafrina spoke once more, at an incredibly slow speed. "Your. Name."

She didn't know why she said it, especially considering how much she hated it, but she said, "Isabella."

"Good girl," Zafrina praised, her voice a throaty purr as she caressed Bella's cheek with the back of her hand.

Bella tried not to tremble uncontrollably, although she finally breathed when Zafrina looked away from her eyes. She took a moment to study the woman.

From the moment she laid eyes on Zafrina, it was clear she was much taller than Bella, and a little over six feet. She was also clearly of some kind of South American descent, with a beautiful face, a toned body, brown skin, and straight black hair that fell past generous breasts. She was also clad in clothes that looked old fashioned and a little primitive, clothes that would never be sold in a store. And while gorgeous and easily hypnotizing, Bella would never, for a second, be unaware of the danger that the woman in front of her was. She also knew that this vampire was very, very old, maybe even older than Carlisle.

Something was decided between the three vampires, although Bella wasn't sure what that was. But it clearly had something to do with her, as Bella was scooped up in Zafrina's arms and pressed close to the vampire's body.

And then Bella was taken away, never to go home again. But despite her own ideas of what was going on, Bella had no idea what was actually going to happen to her.


	3. Chapter 3

_Author's Note: Hey, thanks for all the feedback on this story so far. I'm on a huge roll right now, and it actually did help me start writing some of my other stories again, so everybody wins and (I hope) everyone is happy. Thanks for reading, and I hope you all enjoy._

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Chapter 3

Bella didn't know when or how it happened; but sometime, while she was being carried away, she passed out.

During the time she was out, she had a dream. A very, very, strange dream. A dream that had the Cullens in the forest on one side of the Amazon River; and the three women who had kidnapped her on the other. There was so much yelling, so much anger, and Edward kept telling her to come to him. But it was her choice, it would always be her choice.

She woke up before she could figure out what that choice would be; and nearly laughed out loud when she remembered. What kind of choice was it anyways? To pick between the family who abandoned her and would probably do so again? Or the women who were more than likely to eat her? And, she remembered as she looked up to find herself staring into blood red eyes, the women who had also kidnapped her.

She froze for a second, once again under Zafrina's hypnotic spell as she stared up into the woman's eyes. Bella once again wasn't breathing, and it wasn't until the vampire suddenly threw her over shoulder, knocking the breath out of her, that she managed to start breathing again. It was almost like the vampire had waited for her to wake up just so she could pull the move, and while it was degrading, it was certainly effective in getting her lungs to work.

Just like that, Bella found herself no longer staring into the vampire's face, but at a very, tight ass. One that was very, very close to her face. And she had absolutely no idea what to do, let alone what to say. Was this when she was supposed to start begging?

It took her a moment, but she realized Zafrina was speaking to the other women. What language was she speaking in, anyways? It was just so frustrating just to not understand, but also, not even know what it was she wasn't understanding. Of course, she couldn't just ask, since she was mostly likely a prisoner, or an afternoon snack.

A squeak escaped Bella's lips as Zafrina grabbed her by the ass, lifted her off of her shoulder, and plopped her on the ground in front of a tree. She wasn't being gentle about it either. It wasn't like Zafrina was throwing Bella around for the hell of it; it was more like the vampire was showing Bella just how strong she was, and how easy it was for Zafrina to physically manipulate her body.

 _Probably so I won't think about escaping,_ Bella realized as she fought the urge to rub her tailbone, where it hurt the most. _After all, these women probably believe that I don't know anything about vampires, or at least not anything beyond what I had just witnessed. While I don't know everything, I know enough to know how stupid it would be to try to run._

The human kept her head down as the three women spoke, all too aware of Zafrina's bare feet standing right in front of her. She wanted to stay small and inconspicuous, but stupidly, her curiosity won out. She wanted to get a closer look at the women, and the area she had been dumped in. So she risked looking up, and gasped.

Her eyes got as far as Zafrina before the sound had escaped her lips. She just couldn't help it; the woman just exudes so much _power._ It wasn't a vampire's normal power, either. It was something much more feral, almost animalistic; and for some reason, Bella knew it was tightly, tightly controlled. She didn't know how she had missed it earlier, the power was so clear to her now. Or maybe she realized it on some level before; after all, she had realized that Zafrina, maybe all three of the vampires, were all pretty old.

The gasp was barely out of her mouth before three pairs of eyes were on her. She could feel them, but once again, couldn't remove her eyes from Zafrina. It was starting to piss her off; Bella had always been incredibly observant, had always taken in an entire situation and examined things from every angle. Yet for some reason, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't look past Zafrina.

Zafrina crouched in front of her, and Bella's eyes followed. A cold hand cupped her chin, colder than before, now that Bella's body had calmed down and her stupid adrenaline wasn't flowing. The vampire, while never taking her eyes off of Bella, kept speaking to the other two women in the same language, although Bella only ever heard one voice reply.

"Can you speak English please?" Bella blurted, too frustrated to think her words through, and the three vampires froze. Zafrina's gaze suddenly seemed so much heavier as the woman appeared to search the human, and Bella found herself lowering her eyes submissively. "Sorry, forget I asked," she all but squeaked, and so conversation continued. Zafrina's hand never left Bella's face, and neither did the vampire's eyes.

This was all just too much. Bella knew that she should have been killed by now, so why? Why was she here, why was she alive, and why were three vampires discussing her like she wasn't sitting right in front of them?

Almost absently, Zafrina's hand moved to the back of Bella's neck as they spoke, and when the grip tightened, just a little, Bella couldn't help but tense, expecting to end up with a broken neck. As she tensed, the grip loosened, although not by much, and Zafrina stroked a thumb along the side of Bella's neck almost reassuringly.

Yeah, because being kidnapped by a group of human drinking vampires was reassuring. Even Edward would have never touched her like this-the way her neck was being held was pretty dominant, after all. And, even if Edward had held her this way, Bella was sure she wouldn't have allowed it. But this wasn't Edward-if the gorgeous, obviously feminine body and powerful aura wasn't enough to go by. There was no way Bella was stupid enough to try to make the woman remove her hand.

One of the other women, who Bella now realized was a little shorter than Zafrina, stepped forward, with a woman who was inches taller than both of them right behind her. They came so close it was imposing, but after what sounded like a sharp word from Zafrina, both halted in their approach.

"Kachiri," the shorter woman said, gesturing to herself. "Senna." Then she gestured to the taller woman. Then, she clearly pointed to Bella, gave a soft yet slightly mocking smile, and said, "Prisoner." With that, it seemed that talking was done, and the two women moved away. Since Bella had been freed from Zafrina's gaze, her eyes followed the two, her heart in her throat and more questions screaming to come out.

"No," Zafrina snapped, forcing Bella to gaze up at her. "Only look at me."

Bella's lips parted in a curse, but the word never came as she became lost in the vampire's eyes again. Why? Why did this have to keep happening to her? She hated staring like a mindless git.

Zafrina stared right back at her, but she didn't look stupid at all. Oh no, she actually looked incredibly intent, focused, commanding...dominating. Almost as if she was trying to shove an order into Bella's brain.

But how was Bella supposed to only look at a single woman? Well, besides the whole vampire hypno mojo thing Zafrina had going on, that is. If Bella got the chance, of course she was going to look elsewhere. If she didn't seek, well, then nothing would be gained. While not much of her situation could be changed, she'd at least prefer dying a little more knowledgable about why she hadn't been killed immediately like the others.

So the two stared at each other. And stared. And stared. Finally, the staring contest was broken-by Bella's growling stomach.

Zafrina's gaze went from Bella's face to her stomach, and she stared at that area for a moment while Bella blushed, feeling incredibly uncomfortable. It didn't help that Zafrina _still_ hadn't let go of Bella's chin.

Thankfully, though, Zafrina turned to the other two women, and while they spoke quickly and in another language, at least Zafrina's attention wasn't solely on Bella for a moment. It wasn't much of a relief, as the two other women took off, but Zafrina sat beside her, making it clear she was staying next to Bella. Probably as a guard. At least the vampire had finally let go of Bella's chin.

Instead of getting lost in Zafrina's eyes again, as she could feel the vampire's stare boring into her side, Bella took her time to look around the clearing she had been placed in. She didn't look anywhere near Zafrina, however; no way was she going to risk Zafrina moving into her field of vision and mind fucking her into stupidity again.

It was a simple, small clearing, although it held the exotic beauty of the Amazon Rainforest. There wasn't a single peep from any animal, and not a single sighting of one either. Not a single branch or leaf moved, not even from the wind. However, the clearing they were in would easily protect them from the elements; not that Bella believed the vampires needed the protection. She, as the only human, was of course grateful for the protection.

There was no sign of shelter, and Bella couldn't help but wonder if the vampires even had a place they could technically call "home."

Bella shifted so she could try to look behind her, but Zafrina's arm was suddenly around her, pulling the human tight into her side, so quickly that Bella let out a squeak of surprise. She looked up into Zafrina's eyes questioningly, only to find Zafrina frowning down at her. The frown had to have been what stopped her from getting hypnotized again, maybe simply because it distracted Bella. While the frown obviously didn't bode well for Bella, she was still grateful that it stopped her from being hypnotized again.

"Prisoner," Zafrina seemed to remind Bella, tightening her grip just a little.

Bella averted her eyes, muttering, "I was just looking around."

Zafrina didn't answer, instead continuing to frown at Bella, seeming to almost examine her. It was clear the vampire didn't trust her-what person in their right mind would be foolish enough to trust someone they just kidnapped, anyways? But that didn't seem to be the only reason for the examination. It seriously felt like Zafrina was studying her, trying to figure her out. She hadn't felt so closely scrutinized since Edward…

Wait, could it be? Could Zafrina have some gift that Bella was accidentally blocking? Could her strange mind be what actually saved her?

Bella couldn't believe it, but that was the only possibility so far that she could think of. Her strange mind must have saved her, must have piqued the curiosity of these vampires enough for them to take Bella instead of killing her on the spot.

Wait, so does that mean they might change her? They might do the very thing that Bella had wanted the Cullens to do to her for so very long? But then why was she still human? Why hadn't she been bitten? Could they have decided to examine her more closely to see if she was really worth changing?

Bella knew better than to get her hopes up. For all she knew, there could be a fourth vampire that Bella was simply going to be offered to when he or she appeared. Or maybe she just smelled so good that they wanted to make her last-

Bella squeaked and jumped in surprise when she felt Zafrina's face in her neck. It wasn't a squeak of fear from the knowledge that she was about to be eaten. In fact, the only thing she felt was surprise and embarrassment as all thoughts fled her mind. Bella tried to pull away, just a little, but Zafrina simply wrapped her other arm around the brunette. Keeping her face buried in Bella's neck, the vampire then inhaled, deeply and loudly, letting out a strange purr/moan combo that made Bella shiver.

Grip tightening on the human, Zafrina shifted, throwing one arm over Bella's legs, and she seemed a second away from straddling the brunette and, most likely, sinking her fangs into Bella and draining her dry.

By then, Bella couldn't bring herself to care. She was overwhelmed by Zafrina's scent, something wild and primal she couldn't even begin to put words to, and she actually wanted to mirror the vampire's move and put her own face in Zafrina's neck to inhale the woman's scent. She just smelled so _good._

"Isabella," Zafrina murmured, and even her voice seemed to lull Bella into a deeper drugged out bliss.

Just then, the moment was broken by a sound that only Zafrina heard. The woman looked up with a soft hiss, putting a little space between their bodies, enough space to help clear Bella's head. Bella had just enough of a functioning brain left to glance in the direction that Zafrina had looked at, and she saw the two other women, Kachiri and Senna, walk into the clearing, and what looked to be an animal draped over Senna's shoulder. They strode over to where Zafrina and Bella sat, stopping a good distance away.

Then, without further ado, they dropped the large animal right in front of Bella. Bella stared at it, unsure what was going on or what they wanted her to do. They weren't animal drinkers, that was obvious. Could they be trying to hint to Bella what they were? Then what did this animal have to do with it?

Zafrina released most of her hold on Bella, standing and at the same time pulling Bella up to her own feet by keeping a grip on Bella's arm.

Then, Zafrina nudged Bella towards the animal and said a single word, "Eat."

Bella's eyes widened to the size of saucers, and she glanced at Zafrina, then at the animal, then towards the other two vampires in disbelief.

They could not be serious.


	4. Chapter 4

_Author's Note: Hey guys, since you all seem to enjoy this story so much, here's another chapter. Thanks for reading. As always, tell me what you think._

* * *

Chapter 4

Ew… Bella stared up into Zafrina's face, disbelieving. She expected Bella to eat this? Raw? Seriously? It was sickening enough to stare at the thing, still hairy and bleeding, but actually having to take a bite out of the animal, which Bella was pretty sure was a capybara, would definitely make Bella throw up.

Bella looked over at Zafrina one more time, but she was still stoic. "Eat," she ordered, pushing the animal closer. She looked at the animal, then at Bella's stomach expectantly, but Bella's stomach definitely wasn't hungry anymore.

"But…" Bella looked to the other two vampires––who were currently entwined in each other––for help; but they stayed silent, watching her and the other vampire's interaction curiously. Of course Bella wasn't getting any help from them. They were all probably so old, they forgot what humans needed to eat, and how they needed to eat it without dying.

Bella stared at the dead animal for a long time, just waiting for the punchline to hit. But it never did, as Zafrina nudged her forward.

"You need to eat," Zafrina said firmly, almost as if she was ordering Bella to do so. However, seeing the confusion on Bella's face, Zafrina paused, and seemed to become a little more gentle as she lightly pressed her hand against the small of Bella's back.

Bella found herself taking a step forward, feeling anxiety swell in her chest. She wasn't actually expected to go through with this, was she? Before she could think things through, she blurted, "I know you three haven't been human in a long time, but don't tell me you honestly can't remember that meat needs to be cooked first."

Just like that, everyone froze, the tension so thick in the air it was nearly suffocating to the human. She didn't have time to blink before she was spun at dizzying speeds to face Zafrina, who then grabbed her face with both hands and forced Bella to stare into Zafrina's eyes. Even in such a dangerous, terrifying moment, Bella still felt Zafrina's gaze start to work its magic and hypnotize the brunette.

"What do you mean by that?" Zafrina demanded.

Even if Bella had no idea what they were, it would be clear that the three weren't human after witnessing what had been done to Chip and Harriet. While it may be obvious to many that the three women were vampires, many people might think that they were something else, due to all the myths and legends about the Amazon. However, Bella didn't think about any of that. She was so dumbed down by Zafrina's gaze that she didn't even think to...well, to play dumb. Instead, she mumbled, "You used to be human. But you were turned, and now you're vampires. Old ones."

Zafrina let out a low hiss that a human would know anything about them that she herself hadn't told Bella, and that broke the silence of Kachiri. Kachiri demanded something, once again not in English, and Zafrina replied. Senna, the only one not participating in the heated talk, was stone still with emotion as words were exchanged. Even wrapping her arms around Kachiri did little to calm her.

Bella, once again freed from Zafrina's gaze, let out a breath of relief as she found her mind in working order again. However, that relief was short lived as she realized she had just admitted a little too much about her knowledge of vampires. Then, she had to worry about breathing as Zafrina pulled Bella against her, all but shoving Bella's face into her breasts, holding so tightly Bella couldn't move.

 _Oh, god, do not tell me this is how I'm going to die,_ Bella thought. _Then again, this isn't exactly a bad way to go...wait, what am I thinking? Come on, Bella, you aren't honestly thinking death this way is good, right?_ As Bella fell deep into thought-it wasn't like listening to the conversation would actually help her anyways-she unconsciously buried a little deeper into Zafrina's body, wrapping her arms around her cold captor. This made Zafrina pause and stare down at the young human, the human who, despite knowing what they were, was still clinging to her.

Yes, the girl was meant to be Zafrina's mate. However, Isabella should only be feeling the lightest of pulls towards the vampire. Even Kachiri had been more than a little nervous of Senna when Senna had come to turn to them, and that was after she and Zafrina had grown up with the woman and trusted her more than anything.

To know about vampires and still be alive meant one of three things to Zafrina; either the human was simply that good at guessing and coming to conclusions, Isabella had simply gotten lucky, or she had been introduced to vampires as a plaything and had somehow managed to get away. The third option should have been the most unlikely, as Zafrina had never heard of a human able to escape a vampire who didn't want to release her, but it also seemed to fit Isabella's situation the best. And of course, imagining Isabella as the plaything of someone other than Zafrina herself set the Amazon's teeth on edge.

" _We must do something about her, sister,"_ Kachiri said, tightening her hold on Senna as she stared Zafrina down.

" _She's already mine,"_ Zafrina answered simply as she stared at the top of the human's head. " _We shall keep her human for a little longer-"_

" _So you can seduce her properly?"_ Kachiri asked, almost teasingly, as she was still on edge at the thought a human who seemed to know too much about the existence of vampires.

" _Yes,"_ Zafrina answered simply. " _And I also want to get to know her more, so I can not only find out who she is and who she will become once turned, but also so I can find out all that she knew and learned before the change affects her memories."_

It was at that moment that Bella's stomach growled once more, and Zafrina remembered what she said about meat needing to be cooked. She looked over at her two sisters, communicating with almost a glance, and the two began building a fire to cook the meat over. It wasn't long before they had skinned it, gutted it, stuck a stick through it, and had it over a pretty hot fire. In the meantime, Zafrina kept a tight grip on Bella, loosening it only when she remembered that the human needed to breathe.

A strange smell, nearly muted due to Zafrina's own scent, caught Bella's attention a few moments later. She was once again turned by Zafrina, only this time it was to face a fire with the animal they had killed being roasted on a spit.

Bella tried not to make a face as Zafrina put her hands on Bella's shoulders. The human doubted that the animal would taste very good, but hopefully she wouldn't get sick from it now.

Then again, why were they feeding Bella in the first place? It really made no sense as to why they were keeping her alive, especially after Bella's accidental slip up.

Zafrina pulled Bella closer to the fire as the animal was cooked, then applied pressure to Bella's shoulders until the human sat. Zafrina then sat behind Bella and wrapped her arms around the human from behind.

"Escaping-" Zafrina started to warn.

"I know," Bella muttered, trying not to sigh as Zafrina pulled her backwards, more tightly against the Amazon's body. Zafrina was a controlling one, wasn't she? No, Bella realized. Controlling was Edward's thing. First off, Bella _was_ their prisoner. It wasn't like they were just going to allow her to move around as she pleased. And even then, Zafrina didn't feel controlling. It was more like Zafrina was just unconsciously dominating her, and showing Bella what to do without actually having to say it.

Speaking of saying things...at least Zafrina seemed to speak English easily enough. What was with all the silent, few-word sentences thing that Zafrina was doing? If they realized enough to know that Bella spoke English and didn't speak whatever language they could, why didn't they try a little harder to speak a bit more to her? Even compared to the first time she had laid eyes on Edward, the three women seemed leagues more mysterious.

Eventually, the animal was deemed well cooked enough. Senna took the spit off the fire and tried to hand it over to Bella, as if it should have been the easiest thing in the world. Bella tentatively took it, preparing herself for the weight, but it wasn't enough. Senna dropped the spit into Bella's hands, nearly taking Bella to the ground. However, Zafrina easily caught it with one hand and caught Bella with the other.

Great. Bella knew they were vampires and all, but she was seriously starting to feel like some weak little flower. It didn't help that the spit wasn't even that big, although the animal itself looked to be at least fifty pounds.

Speaking of, they didn't expect her to eat all of it, right? And how, exactly, was she supposed to eat it anyways?

One of her silent questions was quickly answered when Zafrina held the meat up to her lips, expecting her to take a bite. Bella's eyes widened as she was presented with the cooked carcass, and once again, she was at a loss.

Zafrina frowned when Bella didn't start eating and pressed the meat firmly against Bella's lips. Bella hesitantly opened her mouth, knowing it would be better to do as Zafrina said, but when she bit, she found the meat was a little tough. Not to mention it was so big, Bella couldn't find a way to get enough purchase to take a bite.

Seeing Bella struggle, Zafrina pulled the meat away. She let go of the human and ripped a piece of the meat off, then held the piece to Bella's lips. Bella took it in, trying not to touch Zafrina's fingers as she did so she wouldn't have a repeat of what happened before. She chewed and swallowed, trying to maintain a poker face, as the meat didn't taste anything close to good. Zafrina seemed to be satisfied enough, as she ripped off another piece and held it out for the human to eat. She even seemed to enjoy feeding Bella as she continued to give Bella pieces of the meat, although she never smiled. Bella was fed until she was beyond stuffed, and eventually had to beg Zafrina to not give her more, because she felt like she was going to throw up.

Zafrina looked from the animal, which had less than a fourth of it gone, then to Kachiri. On some signal that Bella didn't notice, Kachiri got up and took the meat, returning it to its place over a half dead fire. Bella didn't see Kachiri do this, however, as Zafrina took Bella's chin and turned the girl's face to look at her. Zafrina ran her thumb along Bella's mouth and chin, collecting the excess juice from the meat, and pressed the thumb against Bella's lips, the vampire's eyes darkening as she did so.

Bella looked up at Zafrina nervously, struggling not to once again fall into the vampire's gaze, wondering what Zafrina wanted. Hadn't Bella messed up the last time she had taken a finger into her mouth? But it looked like Zafrina wanted her to do it this time... however, Zafrina was pressing her thumb insistently against Bella's lips, so Bella once again opened her mouth. Zafrina slipped her thumb into Bella's mouth, and Bella sucked tentatively as Zafrina's eyes turned black.

Zafrina took a deep breath, a sign that Bella would soon learn meant the vampire was struggling to maintain control, and she kept her thumb in Bella's mouth until the human herself tentatively released it.

" _If you can't take her doing it, don't tell her to,"_ Kachiri murmured to Zafrina, even as she kept her eyes on Senna, who she was currently on the lap of. " _You will only torture yourself if you continue."_

" _I know. But it is a sweet torture,"_ Zafrina replied. Like Kachiri, she never took her eyes off of Bella, who would have been confused if she hadn't given up on trying to understand what they were saying. The word torture reminded Zafrina of Bella's injured hands. Wanting to check on them, she simply picked Bella up and maneuvered her so that Bella was now sitting sideways on top of Zafrina's legs, and Zafrina gathered both hands in one of hers. She unwrapped the bandages carefully and examined the palms, once again running her tongue over the cuts she found, making Bella squirm uncomfortably.

"Oh, um, you don't have to…" Bella started, but Zafrina only flicked her still dark gaze upwards to meet Bella's eyes, and Bella shut up. What was it about this vampire that just made Bella feel so...heck, what did Bella feel when Zafrina did whatever she felt like to the human? It wasn't like Bella had felt these kinds of things before, after all.

Zafrina, content that Bella had stopped protesting, finished cleaning the wounds of both palms, careful to make sure not to get any venom in the wounds. Then she flipped Bella's hands over to check the back, and it was then that a glitter caught her eye. Zafrina tensed, suddenly hyper focused, as she grabbed Bella's left arm with both hands.

There, on Bella's arm, was a bite mark. Two, actually, with one overlapping the other. Vampire bites...on _her_ mate.

"Bella," Zafrina said, sounding beyond furious as she held her arm up to the human. Bella, having somehow sensed the sudden mood shift in Zafrina before Bella had even realized what Zafrina was looking at, held her breath as she stared at the bite marks. She could feel Zafrina trying to control herself as the vampire said in an even, hard, and clearly restrained voice, "What. Is. This?"

Uh oh. Bella knew now that she was in a lot of trouble. But she couldn't actually be blamed for this, right?

…

Right?


	5. Chapter 5

_Author's Note: Okay, I got a little inspiration, so I managed to finish this up. Hope you guys like it, and thanks for waiting. Also, I'm doing a poll for what the pairing should be on my new fic, if anyone wants to vote._

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Chapter 5

"Isabella," Zafrina growled, and Bella felt her entire body tingle at the sound of her name. With just her name, something primal seemed to awaken inside of her. Of course, Bella did everything she could to fight it back down. "Do not make me repeat myself." Zafrina pushed Bella's hand closer to the human while, with her other hand, she grabbed the back of Bella's head to hold her still. Like Bella would be stupid enough to look away.

"That's, uh…" Bella felt her entire body tremble as she stared at her reminder from James. She just didn't really know what to do, let alone say. While a part of her knew telling the truth would make it less likely she would piss the vampire off, she also still felt some deep, stupid need to protect the Cullens. Maybe she could get away with telling the three women as little about what happened as possible? But how could she tell the truth about what happened without bringing Edward into the mix?

Zafrina bared her teeth, a hiss slipping out of her throat as she grabbed Bella by her face, forcing her eyes to meet. "You will answer."

Just like that, Bella found herself spilling everything. How she had met vampires before, how she had befriended them, meeting another coven during a baseball game, one taking such a liking to her that she was hunted, how she got lured away and was tortured, then bitten, and finally, how one of the vampires of the coven she had befriended then sucked the venom out, then finally being abandoned by the coven after her seventeenth birthday. It took all of her willpower not to tell the Amazons the Cullens' name and of her relationship with Edward, and Bella was pretty sure she had made a good move seeing how pissed off Zafrina looked at the moment. The vampire's eyes were pitch black, teeth bared, her entire body rigid with the power of her fury.

Oh yes, Zafrina was furious. To know that Isabella had been tortured, had been put in danger by the other coven, had been on the verge of being turned only to have that taken away from her, and then to end up abandoned while human and in full knowledge of the vampire secret in more danger than ever...it was a lot for the vampire to take in. And while the Amazon was usually cool and hard to anger, she was all but in a murderous rage. For all that to happen to Isabella, to _her_ human…

Without a thought, Zafrina pulled Bella into a tight embrace, adjusting her strength when Bella let out a pained squeak. She met the serious gazes of her two sisters, and let out a sigh, finding the strength to pull herself together with the knowledge that her mate was in her arms and relatively unharmed.

"It's getting dark," Zafrina suddenly announced, startling Bella, who had been warily unmoving in Zafrina's arms. "You must sleep." Then Zafrina shifted her hold, throwing the human over her shoulder, and quickly climbed a tree as Bella clutched at Zafrina's back fearfully, afraid to fall even though she knew Zafrina wouldn't drop her unless she wanted to.

Zafrina settled in a small nook and sat Bella back in her lap.

"So, um, how exactly am I going to sleep?" Bella asked anxiously as she glanced around. After all, Bella was clumsy. And she knew, without a doubt, that if they tried to make her sleep in a tree, she'd fall and die.

Bella couldn't tell if Zafrina was purposely ignoring her or not as the taller woman settled in and stretched out along the branch. Then Zafrina stared at Bella for a long time, for so long that Bella thought she might have to repeat her question, only to be suddenly pulled against Zafrina's body, forcefully made to lie on her side.

Nothing was said between the two after that. Zafrina kept completely silent, her arms around Bella, holding her close with such a tight grip Bella could barely shift in her hold. Of course, Bella was a little afraid to say anything either, especially since she was all but glued to a powerful vampire who had just been very, very angry only seconds ago.

Eventually, exhaustion did tug at the human, and her eyelids did grow heavy. After spending nearly two hours in Zafrina's arms, Bella fell asleep.

It was only seconds after that that both Senna and Kachiri climbed up the tree as well, settling silently on the same branch close by.

" _When will you turn her?"_ Kachiri asked in such a low voice, Bella might not have even noticed someone had spoken had she been awake. " _With a past like hers, it will be especially hard to keep her human for much longer. And the other coven-"_

" _I know,"_ Zafrina murmured, absently stroking Bella's hair. " _But she's young. And when she's turned…"_

Senna nodded with understanding. After all, it had been agonizing having a newborn Kachiri scared of her urges, not able to understand what she was feeling for Senna. Despite being mates and longtime friends, Senna had been afraid of scaring Kachiri off.

Zafrina had never been one to desire any kind of contact with another. Yet from the second she had met Isabella, the once-stoic woman had been touching Isabella non-stop. If the craving was bad for Zafrina now, it would only intensify once Isabella was turned, and it would be painful for her if Isabella didn't crave Zafrina the same way. After all, while the bond would be there, and Isabella's instincts would drive her into Zafrina's embrace, the lustful haze wouldn't last forever. This meant that Isabella might end up trying to pull away.

Of course, this meant that Zafrina desired wooing Isabella while she was still human. That way, when she was changed, Isabella wouldn't feel cheated or manipulated, and would want to stay with Zafrina.

However, Kachiri and Senna knew there was one big problem with Zafrina's plan. The problem was that Zafrina had always been emotionally clumsy. She was, after all, a serious and stoic woman, and even when she was human, she had never been one to voice her desires. In fact, she wasn't even one to speak much at all. She was a woman of action, used to getting what she wanted, but she would have no idea how to win over her mate. That's how Isabella had ended up a prisoner instead of a love interest, and why the human was still so scared and confused. If things continued down this path, Zafrina might never woo Isabella.

The only way things might progress more smoothly was if Zafrina were to take some pointers. After all, while Senna had never spoken much, even as a young child, she knew how to convey, quite clearly, what she wanted through actions and looks. If this managed to rub off on Zafrina even a little, Zafrina would have a much better chance.

But both Kachiri and Senna doubted that they would be able to convince their proud sister to accept any kind of pointer, especially in regards to her human mate. This left them at a standstill of sorts, and now taking care of a weak, frail human for who knew how many years.

However, the two lovers decided to leave Zafrina alone for the night. With Kachiri whispering a quiet, "I see," Kachiri and Senna scaled back down the tree. Once their feet were once again on the ground, they laced fingers with each other, shared a loving glance, and took off, not just to get away from the scent of Bella's tantalizing blood, but to have some private time with just the two of them. Zafrina didn't even spare them a glance, instead choosing to keep her eyes locked on to Isabella. To the future she didn't even know she wanted. To the girl who now belonged to Zafrina, without Isabella even realizing it.

Isabella shifted in her sleep, and Zafrina let her. The girl's forehead rested against Zafrina's neck, and she felt the human's body relax even further. Then, still clearly very deep in sleep, Bella mumbled a single name; "Edward."

Zafrina froze, eyes immediately darkening to a black. Who was Edward? Why would her mate say the name of a man so...lovingly? If Isabella was in love with another, Zafrina would have to kill him, have to make sure that the only one in Isabella's heart was her.

Wait. Isabella had been involved with vampires before, vampires who could apparently be around a human for a long time. Zafrina knew of only two covens who could do so, had actually met and become acquaintances, possible allies, with one of those covens. And that coven she had met had a boy among them, an unattached vampire named Edward.

Could it really be? Could the Cullens not only have foolishly left someone, alive and human while knowing their secret, but also have a boy of their family woo and then leave Isabella? Woo and abandon _Zafrina's_ mate?

No, that was impossible. Carlisle, at the very least, had to have some more sense than that. He had to.

But just in case, Zafrina would invite them for a visit after Bella was turned, and only after she was turned. If the Cullens had truly been the coven to leave her mate alone and in so much danger, well...Zafrina would have something very violent to say about that. If not, then they would have a peaceful reunion before the Cullens went on their way.

Unconsciously, Zafrina tightened her grip on Bella, both possessively and protectively. No more harm would come to her mate, Zafrina would be sure of it. Until the day that Isabella was turned, Zafrina would woo and protect her, and make sure that the name Isabella whispered in sleep was hers and hers alone. Perhaps she would start with making Isabella say her name at least five times every day? That would be a good start.

Unaware of the vampire's plotting, Bella was sleeping peacefully, dreams plagued of golden eyes, eyes that would suddenly turn into a pair of hypnotizing red.

And, in the distance was Senna and Kachiri, having some very loud, creative, and kinky sex that only made Zafrina want to hasten her plans. After all, the sooner Zafrina claimed her mate in every way, the better; not to mention the more pleasurable.

* * *

Bella wasn't sure when she was woken up, but she felt like it was very, very early. She was exhausted, groggy, and immediately found herself staring into Zafrina's darkened eyes.

"Name," Zafrina stated, cupping Bella's cheek in her hand.

What? Did Zafrina think that a human could forget their name after falling asleep or something? "Isabella Marie Swan," Bella answered, a little proudly as her brain was barely functioning.

"Not yours. Mine," Zafrina said.

 _Oh._

"Say it," Zafrina insisted.

"Zafrina?" Bella said, the confusing lilt to her voice making the name come out as if in question.

"Again."

"Zafrina," Bella repeated, which seemed to please the vampire immensely while confusing the exhausted human further. In fact, Bella was still so tired that even the near heart attack she was given after Zafrina tightened her hold on Bella's body and dropped out of the tree wasn't enough to shake Bella out of her exhausted stupor.

Strangely enough, to Bella at least, she was still alive, still whole, and clearly hadn't been snacked on during the night. And she only became more suspicious when a new, thankfully smaller and already cooked dead animal was held in front of her.

Once again, Zafrina sat her in front of the animal and took hold of the spit the animal had been roasted on. Then she held a piece to Bella's mouth and said, "Eat."

Later, Bella would chalk it up to stupidity due to her exhaustion, but at the moment, all she could think to do was say, "Look, if you're just trying to fatten me up for more blood, don't bother. I have a high metabolism." As she said this, she nearly threw her arms up in defeat, but stopped last minute, not wanting to hit Zafrina in the face by accident.

"I am not going to kill you. Now eat your food," Zafrina said persistently. "You must eat to stay strong and live."

Why? Why did they want to keep Bella alive so badly? Was it that it was hard to hunt for humans in the forest, so they were just keeping Bella alive until they got thirsty again? But they were at least trying to take good care of her...everything was just so confusing.

"Isabella, I do not like repeating myself. Do not make me do it again," Zafrina said, pressing the piece of food to Bella's lips.

And so Bella decided the best thing to do was eat. After all, while she didn't know what was going to happen to her, she did know there was nothing she could do about it. So why fight the vampires?

With this mindset of Bella's, the routine for the next few months was set.


	6. Chapter 6

_Author's Note: Okay, I'm on a roll, so here's the next chapter. Also, I just realized I never publicly thanked my editor who started helping me out quite a few chapters ago, so here I am, thanking GoldenOx for all the help in making my stories better!_

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Chapter 6

Bella didn't know how much time went by, but she found herself almost getting used to her life with the Amazons. While she didn't know why she was with them, she apparently wasn't there for food, as the three women clearly went hunting, as they'd leave her either with Zafrina or Senna and Kachiri for a bit, before the vampire who left came back with bright red eyes. Bella's clothes were exchanged for leathers, she ate with Zafrina ripping off chunks and feeding them to her, and she fell asleep every night in Zafrina's arms. She found herself getting closer to Kachiri and Senna, but they still kept a distance between them. And the only time Zafrina wasn't with Bella was when Zafrina needed to go hunt.

Zafrina. Zafrina was one of the most confusing variables among everything Bella was struggling to understand. The vampire was always with her, always touching her or stroking her, and for some strange reason, would give her random things like nuts, flowers, and animal teeth. She also didn't say much to Bella, save for the occasional order, most of which involved telling Bella to say Zafrina's name. There were even some times when Bella swore that Zafrina was just pretending not to understand what Bella was saying so the vampire didn't have to answer.

So yes, Bella was sort of getting used to her life, but it was also very confusing. After all, Bella still had no idea why she was with them, let alone why she was alive. She couldn't be that interesting, right?

Apparently she was, as she was still alive; not to mention everything she did seemed to interest the vampires immensely, Zafrina especially so. And while Zafrina often called Bella a prisoner, usually before she just randomly put her arms around Bella, she didn't really feel like one. Bella found herself wondering if it was because the Amazons were vampires too and she felt more connected to the Cullens through them, but then realized there was more to it. She actually felt safe and protected when with the Amazons, Zafrina especially so, although the intense attention she received from that particular woman always made her a little nervous.

It didn't take very long for Bella to realize she was actually enjoying herself and getting used to living with the Amazons, to the point she didn't really want to leave. At the time she realized this, Bella found herself wondering if she was experiencing Stockholm Syndrome, but dismissed the idea soon enough. After all, she hadn't fallen in love with anybody during her kidnapping; she simply found the women beyond fascinating. In her mind, this was way better time spent than what her trip to the Amazon was originally supposed to be. Bella's only worry was about Charlie.

Unlike Bella, Zafrina wasn't so carefree. For while she loved holding and being with her mate, she was also beyond frustrated at how much time had gone by with no progress being made. Zafrina's gifts only seemed to confuse the brunette, and while Isabella had gotten used to her touch, she wasn't actively seeking it. And even in sleep, Bella didn't call Zafrina's name like she had that _Edward_ boy on that first night, and many others.

In other words, Zafrina was struggling. Even her pride took a hit when Senna and Kachiri approached her, asking if she needed assistance in wooing her mate. Of course Zafrina didn't! This was _her_ mate after all. Her mate was just simply denser than others. Yes, that had to be it; there was no other explanation.

So, Zafrina decided the best thing to do was to try a new tactic. She was going to show Bella the beauty of the Amazon, the gloriousness of Bella's new home.

Of course, Bella was clearly confused when Zafrina took hold of Bella's hand one morning after Zafrina had finished feeding her and pulled Bella to her feet. With no explanation, Bella was then led out of the clearing she had gotten so used to living in and found herself tripping through the Amazon.

As they walked, Zafrina would stop at random intervals and point at certain things. Often Bella then saw animals or interesting plants, but other times, Bella couldn't see a thing and had no idea what she was supposed to be looking at.

It wasn't long before Bella got tired, and it became more and more apparent that she was struggling to keep upright. Of course, Zafrina noticed as well, and becoming worried for her mate, scooped the girl up.

"Do you wish to return home?" Zafrina asked as she started walking back towards the clearing.

"Ah, yeah, that sounds good," Bella said with an awkward nod, more than a little self conscious as she worked not to look into Zafrina's dark eyes.

It wasn't long before they had returned, and a pleased Zafrina had set Bella on the ground. After a brief talk with Kachiri, Zafrina agreed it would be best to go hunt now while her mate rested.

The second she was gone, Kachiri walked over to Bella, Senna right behind her. "Are you okay?" Kachiri asked, a sliver of worry in her voice as she gazed at the currently red human.

"Yes, I'm fine, just exhausted. It was a hard walk," Bella explained.

Senna nodded in understanding as Kachiri murmured, "I see," and both sat on either side of Bella, wedging the girl between them.

"Um, so…" Bella started after a brief silence. "If you don't mind, could someone explain why I was led through the Amazon in the first place?" The only reason Bella could think of was that Zafrina was showing her the dangers of the Amazon and the low probability of escape, but that made no sense. After all, wouldn't have Zafrina done so earlier after Bella's capture, back when they didn't know if Bella would run or not?

Kachiri and Senna exchanged an amazed glance. Had their sister really, not once, tried to tell Isabella that she was taking her on a date? Both women were now considering an intervention for Zafrina, whether the woman wanted it or not. Because at the rate she was going now, she might end up even worse off than Senna had been with Kachiri when she had first been turned.

They never said a word to Bella, who was growing frustrated that neither was answering, but they felt it wasn't their place to say. Zafrina was also back soon enough, and both women, seeing just how happy she was, didn't want to ruin the mood. Instead, they removed themselves from each of Bella's sides, deciding to talk to Zafrina that night when Bella was asleep.

Zafrina sensed something strange was going on with her sisters, but instead of focusing on them, dismissed the thought and sat next to Bella, pulling the girl onto her lap. She then rested her fingertip on Bella's lower lip and waited, making it clear what she wanted.

Bella, still confused and annoyed that the other two hadn't explained what was going on, actually considered refusing to speak until someone started explaining something to her. Instead, she let out a soft sigh and murmured, "Zafrina."

A small smile curved Zafrina's lips, and the woman leaned in, nuzzling Bella's neck. It had become such a common thing that Bella didn't even twitch at the vampire's actions. However, she did twitch when the hand that wasn't wrapped around Bella ran up Bella's side. Zafrina pulled away after a moment, capturing Bella's eyes with her own. Once again, Bella was hypnotized, unable to look away. However, she did shiver and squirm quite a few times when Zafrina stroked her leg, her thigh, stroked her stomach...Zafrina seemed intent to touch Bella everywhere that wasn't considered inappropriate. The vampire gave special attention to Bella's face, her hair, her neck, and the hip that wasn't pressed against Zafrina herself. Zafrina's hand even slipped under Bella's top once or twice to touch and stroke the bare skin of Bella's stomach or side, but Kachiri said something, and Zafrina stopped touching Bella under her clothes after that.

It was just so weird to Bella, for while Zafrina had touched her quite a bit since she was taken here, she had never been touched so thoroughly. And Zafrina just seemed so happy about it all. Of course, Bella wouldn't have protested anyways, as Zafrina's temperature helped cool Bella's overheated skin.

After a while, Zafrina seemed to have finished, so she just pulled Bella against her and settled against the tree trunk, closing her eyes. It was when everything seemed calm that Bella decided to ask why she had been taken into the forest.

"Zafrina?" Bella asked, and felt Zafrina's chest rumble in response as Zafrina opened her eyes to gaze at the human. Bella looked away so that Zafrina's eyes wouldn't catch hers and hypnotize her into stupidity once more, and also shifted around on Zafrina's lap, which felt like a light torture for the vampire.

"Speak," Zafrina all but ordered as she grasped the back of Bella's neck, unable to handle Bella's fidgeting, especially after Kachiri had told her they weren't even near the stage where Zafrina could do any kind of claiming or even skin to skin contact.

Bella swallowed, a strange, warm feeling coiling in her gut. However, she didn't let that distract her for long. "Why did you show me the Amazon today?" She asked, never looking up from where her hands laid in her lap.

Zafrina frowned, confused by Bella's question. What did she mean, why? Wasn't spontaneously taking a mate somewhere expected to happen to further help a relationship? "I showed you your home," she stated, still frowning at her mate.

Home? What happened to being a prisoner? Bella couldn't help but wonder. But that word, _home._ That meant that Zafrina, at the very least, expected Bella to stay here, possibly for her entire life. But why? For what reason? For every question Bella asked, it felt like at least three more appeared in its place.

Bella dared to look up into Zafrina's face, which Bella realized was a mistake when she once again felt herself getting lulled into...whatever Zafrina managed to do with just a look. Unconsciously, she straddled the vampire, who was so focused on her mate she wouldn't have noticed the entire forest burning down around her.

"Zafrina," Bella started, trying to fight out of the hypnotic state. "I need to know…"

"Yes?" Zafrina said when Bella didn't continue, taking hold of one of Bella's hands and placing it on her cheek.

Bella didn't even notice. "Why...why am I here? What's going on? And why...why am I still alive? What else would you want from me besides my blood?"

At Bella's questions, Kachiri and Senna exchanged a knowing, here-we-go look, having expected something along those lines was going to happen. However, Zafrina's eyes darkened with upset and frustration as she stared up at Isabella. Her hand dropped off of Bella's, but Bella was still cradling Zafrina's cheek.

"Zafrina, please. I need answers," Bella said, her voice dropping to an almost whisper.

There was a strange tightening in Zafrina's chest as Zafrina realized how wrong things had gone. Her mate had no idea why she was here, why Zafrina was always touching her, what Zafrina desired of her, planned for her...what did Isabella know? Would the human still try to run if given the chance? Had nothing Zafrina done actually worked?

"You're mine," Zafrina told Bella simply, deciding summing everything up would be the best response. Bella still looked confused, however, so Zafrina decided to continue. She pulled Bella down so the human was once again firmly in Zafrina's lap. One hand moved to stroke Bella's face, the other unconsciously moving to grip the back of Bella's neck in a dominating gesture. "You always will be."

Zafrina seemed to think that was enough of an explanation, but Bella was definitely still confused. "You're mine." "You always will be." It was just too broad, especially since Bella knew how possessive vampires were over basically everything.

Did Zafrina view Bella as her territory? Her blood bag? Her toy? Was Zafrina telling Bella that as long as Bella was interesting, Zafrina would keep her happy and alive? Or could Zafrina be referring to...no, that's impossible. After all, Edward said…

After saying those words, Zafrina felt a sense of elation at having claimed Isabella out loud for the first time, with Bella awake no less. She was sure that was enough explanation for Bella, at least for now; especially since Bella wasn't asking anymore questions.

So she pulled the brunette against her and simply held her, thinking they were finally going to start getting somewhere.

However, for the first time, Zafrina wondered if she would require help after all. Human were actually a lot more confusing and complex than Zafrina had thought, and she hated all this waiting and wondering and trying to emotionally connect with her mate while having no idea if what she was doing was working.

Little did Zafrina know that Senna and Kachiri have already decided. Whether Zafrina asked for help or not didn't matter, because the coven leader no longer had a choice. The two were going to force their advice on Zafrina, even if they had to hold her down and cram their knowledge down her throat.


	7. Chapter 7

_Author's Note: Okay guys, this is a longer chapter than usual, so hopefully you guys will enjoy that. Anyways, I have a poll up right now to help decide my next pairing for a story, a story which I will probably start writing in a few weeks or so. Now, one last thing; poll aside, how do you all feel about a Heidi/Bella story? I have an idea in my head that I can't stop thinking about, so...yeah. In other news, hope you all enjoy!_

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Chapter 7

That night, Zafrina had a long talk with her sisters. Sisters who repeatedly tried to hammer certain ideas into Zafrina's head like, "random and strange gifts will only confuse Bella more, especially when you give them to her with no explanation," and "you need to learn to communicate better" and "try asking Bella what she wants." The biggest thing they kept coming back to was that Bella had no idea what was going on, and that Zafrina needed to be clear and explain things to the human. This was basically repeating the "you need to learn to communicate better" only with more detail, making it clear that Zafrina didn't really have a choice in the matter.

More and more information, explanations, and orders were forced upon Zafrina, way more than Zafrina herself would have ever expected. This only ended when Bella started to stir, clearly waking up from sleep.

Immediately, Zafrina started to go over everything she had been told in the last few hours in her head, but already, she had no idea what she was supposed to do. Her sisters had told her not to touch without some kind of consent, but Bella went to sleep and woke up in Zafrina's arms. Zafrina couldn't just drop her, right?

Bella woke to another near heart attack, something that hadn't happened in awhile, as Zafrina suddenly jumped out of the tree before Bella even fully opened her eyes. Then, Bella was set on the ground, on her usual place under the giant tree she usually slept in, and Zafrina settled on her haunches in front of her, staring right into Bella's eyes.

There, now Bella wasn't being touched without the human's consent. Now, Zafrina had to work on the second point Kachiri and Senna had drilled into her head; making sure her mate was happy.

For a long moment, as Zafrina tried to figure out what she should say, she just continued to stare into Bella's eyes. Of course, this made the human confused, flustered, and thankfully, only a little hypnotized. Her heart was even racing in her chest, now that Bella was able to retain some coherent thought around the vampire. But of course, Zafrina wasn't focused on any of that. Instead, she was focused on figuring out if Bella was happy or not, how Zafrina should ask it, how Zafrina should even start talking to the human. Already, Zafrina felt like her head should be hurting from all the work she had to do just to figure out how to continue.

"You're happy," Zafrina seemed to state as she stared searchingly into Bella's eyes.

Bella blinked, staring right back at Zafrina with clear bewilderment. All she could think to say was, "What?"

" _That sounded like a command, Zafrina. Try repeating it in a way that sounds like a question,"_ Kachiri told Zafrina, trying to help her clueless sister out.

Oh. Zafrina grimaced, then repeated herself, never breaking eye contact with her mate. "You're happy?"

"Uh, um…" For a moment, Bella wasn't sure how she was supposed to respond. After all, her emotions were all over the place while she stayed here. She spent most of her time bewildered, confused, frustrated...but she did enjoy her time in the Amazon, with the three vampires. She was worried about her dad, yet Bella didn't want to leave. In the end, all Bella could think of to say was, "I guess?"

Zafrina frowned, unhappy with Bella's thought. "I guess?" "I guess?" "I guess" wasn't good enough for Zafrina. She wanted her mate happy, ecstatic even. But how was she supposed to make sure that happened?

"That's not good enough," Zafrina said, capturing Bella's chin with her hand, the vampire closed the space between them by leaning in. Her eyes stared deeply into Bella's, trying to coax Bella to say what Zafrina was supposed to do to make her happier.

Of course, Bella didn't. Zafrina's hypnotizing eyes aside, she of course had no idea how what Zafrina wanted from her. She didn't even know what wasn't good enough.

" _Isabella,"_ Zafrina stressed, trying to push Bella just a little bit harder.

However, Zafrina's push had an opposite effect. The next breath was caught in the human's throat, and she felt a strange tightening in her stomach that she couldn't understand. Not to mention the close proximity with the vampire was now making Bella dizzy.

From behind them, Kachiri let out a sigh, making Zafrina frown. She was doing everything her sisters suggested, yet they were still going to act like she was doing everything wrong?

"I believe it's time for me to take over," Kachiri spoke up when Zafrina focused back on Bella, not wanting Zafrina to say anything stupid. She walked over to join her sister and the confused human, Senna right behind her, who silently observed the situation while trying not to laugh. "What Zafrina wants to know is; how can we make you happier?"

Now Bella was even more confused. Yes, the Amazons had been nice to her, have been taking care of her, but wasn't she still their prisoner? So why were they suddenly so focused on Bella's happiness? Really now, just what was going on?

"Why does it matter?" Bella shot back before she could think it through, making Senna fight down a small smirk at the human's backbone. Kachiri almost snorted out loud, but Zafrina simply arched an eyebrow at her mate's words. Of course Isabella's happiness mattered, what vampire would want an unhappy mate?

"It matters," Zafrina stated firmly, leaving no room for argument. Yet she also didn't give anymore details, so Bella simply turned to look at Kachiri. Surely she would explain what was going on, now that the Amazons seemed to be in a talking mood.

"We plan to turn you into one of us, Isabella," Kachiri explained gently. "And after you're turned, we would prefer you stay with us."

Oh. They were going to turn her? But why? Bella couldn't help but wonder what made her so special that these vampires would want to turn her, and had been planning it since they captured her. It couldn't have been her admitting to knowing about vampires, right? After all, they had captured her before they found out about that. But it would make the most sense, what with the whole "humans who find out will either be killed or turned" law. Seriously, just trying to figure out what was going on in the three Amazons' heads was enough to make Bella's head hurt.

" _Isabella_ ," Zafrina's voice dragged Bella out of her own thoughts and back into reality, only to find Zafrina right next to her, so close that the Amazon's body pressed against Bella's side. Zafrina's hand was once again holding her by the chin, her other hand pressed against the tree trunk right by Bella's head. She was so close, so amazingly close, that Bella wouldn't have believed there was an inch of space between Bella's face and Zafrina's.

Bella managed to swallow, finally managed to breathe, but that was all she could do. Her heart was now pounding, hard and fast, and she once again found herself captured by Zafrina's eyes. That is, until Zafrina looked away, glancing towards her sisters for any hint in regards to why Bella's heart was beating so fast. Was it fear? Excitement? Something else? This wasn't the time to be messing things up with Bella, after all. She had already broken the no-touching without permission rule, and, according to her sisters, if she didn't tread carefully, she might be hated for all eternity.

Of course, this had been a large exaggeration on Kachiri's part, but she had felt saying it had been necessary to keep her sister from doing anything too outrageous. And now that Zafrina was in this situation, Kachiri felt it best to make Zafrina take the next step on her own. So of course, this meant she looked away from Zafrina's demanding eyes, pretending she couldn't feel the powerful gaze burning into her back.

Zafrina opened her mouth, about to verbally command an answer out of Kachiri, only for Bella to reclaim her attention.

"Why?" Bella managed to ask, her voice a breathy whisper. Zafrina turned back to look at Bella, both brows arching.

What did Isabella mean, why? Why what? Thankfully, Zafrina's confusion didn't last long, because Bella spoke again. "Why turn me? I'm nobody special."

A hiss slipped out of Zafrina's mouth, making Bella try to shrink away. However, she suddenly found herself immobile when Zafrina straddled her, taking Bella's face in both hands, glaring into her eyes, lips skimming back from her teeth in a snarl.

"You _are_ special," Zafrina growled, towering over the now frozen brunette with not just her height, but her mere dominant presence. "Never consider otherwise again."

"Zafrina," Kachiri muttered with a sigh, about to tell her coven leader that she had basically reacted the worst way she could. However, Zafrina quickly realized how badly she had messed up and flashed off of her mate.

She had messed up. Big time. If she didn't want Isabella to hate her for all eternity, she had to make it up to her. She had to. So, in order to make it up to her properly, Zafrina ran into the forest to find as many gifts as she could.

Of course, this meant leaving behind a very bewildered Bella, who had no idea what had just happened, and no idea why Zafrina seemed to have run away from her. And of course, this meant it was up to Kachiri and Senna to do damage control.

"I apologize for my sister," Kachiri said as she walked over to Bella. Once again, Kachiri sat on one side of the human while Senna sat on the other, both close, but not close enough to so much as brush against Bella.

"Uh, no need to apologize," Bella quickly mumbled. Her brow creased, and with a confused frown, she added, "I think."

Senna let out a soft laugh in response, and Kachiri smiled. "Zafrina means well. She just...she's never been one to show her emotions. And she truly did not like you speaking badly about yourself."

"Yeah, I understand." Zafrina did seem to have be pretty immature emotionally, from what Bella had noticed so far. However, Bella was starting to find it funny that the three women, who had seemed to speak nearly no English at all in the beginning, had become so fluent out of nowhere. Usually Bella would have chalked it up to vampiric learning ability, but seeing as all three of them seemed to not understand the majority of what Bella had said so much as yesterday, Bella was pretty sure she had been played. In them pretending not to know English and speak so little, that left Bella compliant. Instead of believing that it wasn't that they just didn't want to answer her questions, she thought they just didn't understand what she was saying to even attempt to answer them and had quieted down. She felt like a fool; of course vampires who had lived so long would know a variety of languages.

"So you really plan to turn me?" Bella asked after a short silence.

Senna nodded first, but, as always, Kachiri was the one to speak. "Yes."

"But why? In the very beginning, I was sure you going to eat me." She still remembered the scene vividly, how both Kachiri and Senna had lunged at her, prepared to go in for the kill. Then someone had said something, and they stopped. That voice, now that Bella thought back on it, had been Zafrina.

Kachiri gave Bella a knowing smile, as if she could see where Bella's thoughts had wandered as well as Bella's conclusion. "Yes, it was because of Zafrina that we didn't kill you. And even then it was hard; you smelled so good, especially when you had that cut on your hand." A cut that had thankfully long since healed, as it had been clearly been a source of stress and discomfort for the vampires.

"But why?" Bella hated repeating herself, especially since she sounded like some kind of whiny broken record. But her mind just wouldn't settle down, not until she got some kind of answer.

Senna sighed at Bella's question, but not in a put out way. While Bella hadn't been one to understand the smallest hints of body language, she had learned to be very attuned since being captured by the three vampires, one of whom was mute, Zafrina being not so far behind. Which meant she knew that Senna's sigh meant something like she was sympathizing with Bella, but, with some regret, wasn't going to tell or show her anything else.

Kachiri only proved Bella right when she said, "That's for Zafrina to tell you." _Although who knows how long that will take,_ she added silently, knowing how Zafrina wouldn't drop the bomb until she knew she had wooed Isabella to the point that the human was already in love with her. And also, knowing her sister's thick headedness, that might take centuries alone. Kachiri and Senna were really going to have to step up their game to make sure Bella understood what was happening and what Zafrina felt for her before her turning. Because even with their coven leader's wishes, they couldn't wait forever. The rainforest was a dangerous place, and had Kachiri and Senna been human, they would have lost count of how many times they had to kill, or at least take away, the various dangerous insects that had wandered too close to the human. Thankfully, animals sensed the danger in the three vampires and stayed away, otherwise they would have been a problem as well.

There was also the fact that Bella was already eighteen now, and Zafrina had been turned in her early twenties. She was sure the human would only feel self conscious if she was changed in her late twenties or beyond.

"I get it," Bella said with a sigh of her own, this one defeated. Sure, she hadn't known the Amazons too long, but she had a feeling it was going to be much longer before Zafrina told her anything.

"One last thing, Isabella," Kachiri added, placing a hand on Bella's arm. Bella looked up, staring deep into Kachiri's serious eyes, eyes that didn't even come close to hypnotizing Bella like Zafrina's did. "Whatever happens, please do not come to hate my sister. It would destroy her."

"I…" Bella licked her lips, her mouth suddenly very dry. Her heart also started to pound a little faster, her body reacting to just how serious Kachiri's request was. "I won't." Bella didn't say it out loud, of course, but she didn't think she could. Zafrina had just done something to her, warmed a place inside of Bella that she hadn't known she even had. And the two sides of her-the commanding, dominant personality, as well as the awkward, unsure part of her who seemed to have no idea of how to handle Bella-just made her feel a mix of curiosity and fondness for the complex woman.

It was strange. While she had been scared at times, and confused-oh, she had certainly spent most of her time with the Amazons confused-she never felt even the first inkling of dislike. After those first few days with the Amazons, she had even started to feel like she belonged there, in a way she never felt before, even with the Cullens.

"That's good," Kachiri said, standing up. "Now, I will go find some breakfast for you." On some unspoken signal, Senna stayed next to Bella as Kachiri took off. And while not a word was said between Senna and Bella, it was a comfortable silence.

Zafrina didn't come back until nightfall, and when she did, she arrived carrying all sorts of things, many of which was draped over or tied to the vampire, appearing as quite a strange sight for the human. There was some kind of skinned animal for dinner, a necklace of fangs that used to belong to a black caiman, a large sack of nuts, beans, flowers, feathers, and leaves, a pelt of a jaguar along with its fangs, some other various pelts of animals, and lastly, a live but seemingly traumatized pygmy marmoset. Zafrina pretty much dumped all of her findings on her mate, both anxious and proud of her gifts, and then tried to give Bella the live marmoset, telling her "It's cute." And cute things were what humans liked, right?

Of course, Bella made Zafrina let the monkey go, who bolted like death incarnate was after it, and then tried to figure out why Zafrina had given her all of this, and what she was supposed to do with it. Zafrina was no help, only asking her, clearly worried about something, if she liked it all, before telling her what each thing was or what it could be used for. With some items, like some of the flowers, she simply stated, "It's pretty" or "It's warm" or "It might taste good." For others, like the leaves, Zafrina went into a long, winded spiel, speaking more than Bella had ever heard from her, about what the leaves were capable of, the healing properties, what it could be used in...it was enough to make Bella's head feel like it was about to spin right off of her body.

In the end, Bella just decided the best thing to do was thank Zafrina for her gifts, which made the Amazon beam with joy, all but blinding the human, and pretend she actually knew what she was supposed to do with it all.

That night, things changed. Zafrina sat by her awkwardly throughout dinner, and instead of feeding her, ripped off pieces of the cooked meat and placed them gingerly in Bella's hand, avoiding all contact. It was like she was afraid that even the smallest of touches would break the human. Then, instead of cleaning Bella's fingers herself, she handed Bella some leaves to use. Bedtime came, and Bella was once again left confused. Instead of Zafrina picking her up and climbing the tree like she always did, Zafrina created a bed and shelter out of various pelts and logs before sitting down next to her. The end result ended up being more comfortable than Bella's own bed back home, but for some reason, Bella had trouble sleeping in it all night, mumbling all sorts of intelligible things, which only served in worrying Zafrina immensely, as she was used to Bella sleeping like the dead.

And things only got stranger for the human from there.


	8. Chapter 8

_Author's Note: I know that I'm updating this story more than others, and I know that a lot of you are hoping I update some of my other stories, and I'm sorry. This is one of the stories that I keep getting drawn back to, and I've been in a funk for the last two days trying to update some of my other stories that I hadn't updated in awhile. So I'm really, really sorry about all of this, and I hope I can be forgiven. As always, I hope you enjoy and please tell me what you think._

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Chapter 8

Only two days after Bella started sleeping on the floor, and she found herself slowly but surely being driven to the brink of insanity. Zafrina was just being so _weird._ Besides the fact that she was always hovering around Bella, usually never saying anything-although in an anxious way instead of her usual guarding way-whenever Zafrina did speak, it was to ask her questions that she never bothered asking before.

Seriously, Zafrina would ask Bella "Can I touch you?" "Is it okay to touch you here?" "Are you happy?" and "Can you say my name?" At least forty times a day, to the point where Bella just wanted to slam her head against a tree. And even though Bella said yes every time to the "Can I touch you?" questions, Zafrina wouldn't touch her the way she used to. Instead, she'd barely brush her hand against Bella's skin. The most intense touch she got from the vampire was a soft poke. Zafrina seemed to be acting so strange that even Kachiri and Senna didn't know how to handle it.

So one day, when Zafrina was out hunting, Bella immediately turned to Kachiri and asked, "Just what is going on? Why is Zafrina being so weird?"

Kachiri and Senna exchanged a look, then turned back to face Bella. Senna shrugged in response, and as always, Kachiri was the one to give a verbal answer.

"Well, it seems our advice backfired and Zafrina is taking things much too seriously. She's so afraid of messing up that she isn't thinking straight," Kachiri explained, mindful not to give too much away.

"Advice?" Bella repeated, mystified. "What kind of advice did you give her? And why did you feel the need to give her advice at all?"

Sighing, Kachiri pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes, deep in thought. She knew she shouldn't tell Bella too much, that building the relationship between Bella and Zafrina relied heavily on their communication and understanding. Yet Kachiri still worried, especially with how Zafrina was acting now.

Not for the first time, Kachiri felt a well of irritation towards her sister. After all, she wouldn't have to worry if Zafrina would just outright explain things to the human. Yet that irritation didn't last for long, because she knew how her sister's mind worked-most of the time, anyways-and she knew she couldn't expect Zafrina to be able to sweep Bella off of her feet. Even when they had been human, Zafrina had mostly kept to herself, and would only openly talk with Senna and Kachiri.

So how was she supposed to fix this mess? With her sister like...wait. That right there was the answer. All this time, Kachiri and Senna had been trying to push Zafrina to do what it took to progress the relationship. Yet they never tried to push Bella.

"Isabella, you need to listen to me," Kachiri started, resting her hands on Bella's shoulders as she conveyed the seriousness of the conversation.

"Oh….Okay?" Bella replied, starting to get nervous at how do-or-die the situation suddenly felt.

"Zafrina...she will do anything for you, Isabella. Anything. She's obsessed with making you happy. But she also doesn't want to mess anything up since we plan on turning you, which is why she's behaving so strangely. What you need to do is press Zafrina to make a move, to talk to you...communication is key."

 _Make a move?_ But what kind of move was Zafrina supposed to make? Pushing that to the side for now since they had limited time to speak, Bella said, "So, I'm just supposed to talk to her a lot?"

Kachiri grimaced at how complicated her sister had made the situation. "Sort of. You see, ever since I can remember, my sister hasn't been much of a talker; instead, she's been one to speak and respond through actions."

"Right. I think I get it," Bella said, coming to a sort of understanding. While she wasn't sure how to put it into words, she did know that she couldn't just talk to Zafrina. That's right, she had to act. How she was going to do that, however, made things a little more complicated.

Senna nudged Kachiri, conveying that she was on the right track and showing her support. And had Kachiri or Bella glanced at Senna, they would have seen the pride and love for her mate sparkling in her eyes.

Kachiri didn't glance, however, but Bella did. And it was at that moment that she realized that Senna and Kachiri weren't just close friends or vampiric sisters, but lovers.

 _Oh god, how could I have not seen it earlier?_ Bella thought, disappointed in her own observational ability. She was so distracted by her denseness that she didn't have a chance to ask anymore questions. Zafrina had to have been approaching, because Kachiri dropped her hands and stepped away, leaning into her mate.

Bella followed the two vampires' gazes, just in time to see Zafrina emerge from the forest. There was a slight flash of confusion in her eyes as she noticed everyone standing and staring at her, but then the powerful, commanding coven leader was back to her usual stoic self as she strode over to Bella's side.

 _Okay, remember what Kachiri told you. Speak through actions, Bella._ Stupidly, even though Bella thought this, she opened her mouth to speak instead. "Zafrina," she started, only to realize that not only was she speaking, something she hadn't planned to do, but she had no idea what she wanted to say.

While Zafrina still wore her poker face, her eyes lit up; she did love it when Bella said her name. She reached out, wanting to touch her mate in some way, only to remember what her sisters had told her. So instead of touching Bella, she started to ask, "Can I-?"

Oh my god. Not wanting to hear Zafrina ask the same question she had already asked seven times that day again, Bella grabbed Zafrina's wrist and pressed the vampire's hand against her face.

"There," Bella said, a near-defiant glint in her eyes. "You're touching me. That's what you wanted, right?"

Zafrina nodded, stunned at the sudden fire that had roared to life in the human. A fire that seemed to warm Zafrina as well, as the vampire was feeling really good in that moment.

"Okay, Zafrina, listen up; you can touch me, as long as it's an appropriate touch, whenever you want. You don't need to keep asking. Get it?" Even Bella herself didn't know where her fiery words were coming from, but she soon found that she didn't care. With Bella's own words, she felt that they had finally at least gone back to where the two had been when Bella had first started living with them.

Zafrina stared at Bella for a long moment, then nodded. However, while she was happy that she and Bella were taking a step forward in their relationship, she now had a very powerful urge due to Bella's newfound backbone. An urge to take, to dominate. But no, Zafrina couldn't do that. Touching and taking her mate were completely different, and since they were finally getting somewhere, she wasn't about to mess that up.

"And another thing; can we _please_ go back to the way I used to sleep?" Bella started, but even as she said it, she blushed in embarrassment. She really couldn't believe she was actually saying something so...well, so weird. Despite her embarrassment, she still continued to speak, although she did duck her head. "I mean, as long as it's okay with you. It's just, I'm used to sleeping with a vampire now, and it feels weird not to. I might need to use one of the pelts you got me as a blanket from time to time, but-"

"Yes," Zafrina said, taking hold of Bella's chin and lifting the girl's face so that Bella was forced into eye contact. _Oh no, don't do that. Does Zafrina even know what eye contact with her does to me?_ "Thank you, Isabella, for the honor."

Honor? Really? Zafrina thought having physical contact with Bella and being slept on was an honor? Geez, that felt a little awkward, especially since Zafrina was still doing that intense eye contact thing. Oh, damn, Bella couldn't breathe.

On the sidelines, Kachiri and Senna were looking very pleased with themselves, and with Bella. Why they didn't think of pushing Bella instead of Zafrina earlier, they didn't know, but the results were already great.

"Well, um, okay then. That's good," Bella mumbled, managing to tear her eyes away from Zafrina's so she could start thinking properly again.

Seeing this, Zafrina frowned, dropping her hand from Bella' chin. Why was her mate so averse to eye contact with her? It wasn't just a submissive thing, Zafrina knew, because the human would work hard to avoid eye contact before it was even made.

Hm...perhaps now that physical contact was allowed, eye contact should be the next thing they worked on. Zafrina did love to look into Bella's eyes, after all, and she hoped that Bella would feel the same way.

But for now, Zafrina was beyond content. She was so excited to be able to sleep with Bella in her arms again, that she almost started trying to convince Bella to go to sleep early, despite the day not even being half over.

Instead of doing so, Zafrina watched Bella-who seemed to be incredibly self conscious all of a sudden-for a long moment, before making up her mind. "What else?"

Bella startled so badly that she almost looked up into Zafrina's eyes again on reflex. "I didn't think there was anything else. Unless you think so."

So did that mean Bella was content now that these new changes were made? Or was there still something that Zafrina could do to make Bella happier? Instead of asking, Zafrina decided to wait and see if Bella would say anything else. She also decided that she would take advantage of now being able to touch Bella by wrapping her arms around Bella from behind and resting her chin on Bella's head.

They stood there like that for awhile. And while the contact did feel good to Bella, the awkwardness started to set in as well, since they were just standing there, not saying or doing anything, for who knows how long. Not to mention that her legs were starting to hurt. Kachiri and Senna weren't even there for Bella to signal for help, as they had decided to leave her and Zafrina alone and go off to do their own thing.

"Um, Zafrina?" Bella started, catching the attention of the vampire. "Do you think we can at least sit down…?"

Zafrina frowned, annoyed at her own misstep. Without a word, she scooped the human up in her arms and walked over to sit in front of a tree trunk. After Zafrina had leaned back against the thick wood and settled Bella on her lap, she wrapped her arms around Bella. Bella was the nuzzled quite thoroughly, and seconds later, Zafrina started to purr.

Not sure if Zafrina was consciously making the noise or not, Bella chose not to say anything. Instead, she found herself relaxing into Zafrina's embrace and resting her head on the vampire's shoulder, feeling more content than she had in days.

It was then that Bella came to a realization; it wasn't that she was just used to being in Zafrina's arms; she enjoyed it. Looked forward to it, even. Having spent so many days without being held had been what made Bella so unsettled.

What was it about Zafrina that made Bella feel so comfortable? Was it the touch of another vampire? Was it an attempt to find what Bella had lost when the Cullens had left her?

No, it wasn't just that, Bella was sure of it. This feeling of comfort wasn't just because Zafrina was a vampire. If that was true, then Bella should feel the same amount of comfort when being touched by Senna or Kachiri. The truth was, this feeling of comfort was something Bella felt because of Zafrina herself. There was just something about the vampire that made Bella feel all sorts of things, things she never would have expected.

"Isabella," Zafrina said, taking hold of Bella's chin to lift the girl's head, forcing eye contact once again. "I have something to show you."

Bella's mouth opened, but nothing came out as she silently cursed Zafrina for forcing eye contact. However, Zafrina figured it would still be okay to show her since Bella wasn't telling her no. And what could go wrong? Hopefully, if anything, it would please her mate and even amaze her immensely.

With that excited idea in mind, Zafrina tried to project the image of the ocean onto Bella's mind, tried to bring the girl with her into the illusion that she had created. However, something felt off. Wrong.

"Do you see it?" Zafrina asked hopefully. "Do you like it?"

However, Bella only frowned at her and asked, "See what?"

"The ocean," Zafrina said, sounding just as bewildered as Bella, although a lot more upset.

"What ocean? We're in the middle of the amazon," Bella replied, and with those final words, Zafrina's heart fell.

Why? Why didn't Bella see it? Could it be? Could Zafrina be doing something wrong?

"I…" Zafrina started, trying not to show how upset she was that she couldn't show Bella her gift. She had hoped to see her mate's eyes light up in amazement, to make her stare in awe, to make her happy… No, Zafrina wouldn't give up. Needing to try again, she placed her hands on either side of Bella's and once again tried to show Bella her illusion.

Once again, Bella couldn't see it.

So Zafrina tried again. She tried again and again for a long, long time.


	9. Chapter 9

_Author's Note: Another update on this story, because I just can't get it out of my head. As always, thanks for reading, and tell me what you think!_

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Chapter 9

Kachiri and Senna came back to their base, only to find Zafrina staring intently into Bella's eyes, holding the human's head between her hands. At first, they simply assumed Zafrina was showing Bella her gift, but quickly became confused when Zafrina started to become more and more frustrated and Bella became more and more bewildered.

"Zafrina," Kachiri murmured when Zafrina still didn't look away from her mate. Once Zafrina looked at the other two Amazons, clear turmoil in her eyes, Kachiri asked in their native tongue, " _What's the matter?"_

" _She doesn't see it,"_ Zafrina answered. " _No matter how hard I try, she won't see anything I want to show her."_

Kachiri frowned, trying to figure out how that could be possible. Glancing between an upset Zafrina and a clueless Bella, Kachiri had to wonder. Could the girl have a gift? A gift that, for some reason, could block Zafrina's?

"Isabella," Kachiri started, focusing on the human. "Zafrina has a gift. She is able to show people illusions, usually without needing to touch them. However, for some reason, she is unable to use it on you."

Bella's eyes widened at the realization, but before she could think much about what that meant or blurt out that Edward couldn't read her, she was distracted by Zafrina.

"I wanted to show you the ocean," the vampire stated, gazing at Bella with something that almost looked like pain in her eyes. "Something beautiful. Something you would love."

Touched by the gesture, not to mention the amount of words Zafrina had spoken in such a short amount of time, Bella took Zafrina's hand and squeezed it. "Thank you," she said, meaning it. For while Bella couldn't see it, that didn't make Zafrina's gesture any less beautiful. "I'm sorry it didn't work."

"But it should," Zafrina insisted, becoming frustrated.

"Yes, but, well, I'm different," Bella said, trying to explain without giving away too much. "When I was around other vampires, some of them had gifts. Some worked on me, and some didn't."

"Really now? So does that mean...you're gifted? Even as a human?" Kachiri asked, intrigued, and Senna immediately nodded before Bella could even reply. It would be the only true explanation.

"I think so. Or there could just be something wrong with my head," Bella said, a little embarrassed to be under such sudden and intense scrutiny.

Without so much as blinking, Bella found herself facing Zafrina, forced to stare into Zafrina's angry eyes with Zafrina's hand on the back of her neck, once again dominating the human while demanding Bella's full attention. "There is nothing wrong with you," Zafrina hissed, furious that Bella would even think that could be true. "You are perfect."

Dang, was Zafrina talking a lot today. It was enough to take Bella off guard, even without the whole sudden fury thing. And Zafrina would only let Bella go when Bella nodded her agreement.

"So, she's a gifted human then," Kachiri murmured, before anything else could be said or done between her coven leader and Isabella. "It truly is an incredibly rare occurrence, but if I had to go from what I've heard over the years, my guess is she won't learn to control it until she is turned into a vampire."

Upon hearing this, Zafrina was disappointed. So she wouldn't get to show Bella her gift until after she was turned? But how long would that take? Zafrina hadn't even gotten to the point where she could openly announce she was courting Isabella, which meant Zafrina wasn't even close to the time when she was ready for Isabella to be turned.

As if Bella had plucked the thought right out of her mind, Bella asked, "So why am I not being turned soon, anyways? What's the point in keeping me human?" As she spoke, she turned to stare up at Zafrina, although she looked no further than her mouth. She didn't want to risk losing her ability to think coherently again.

Immediately, Zafrina felt a swell of panic. She couldn't just pretend like she didn't hear or understand Isabella, as the girl had called her out on that before, multiple times. But was Isabella ready to hear the truth? Zafrina didn't think so, at least not until she had managed to further woo her.

"Well?" Bella asked, staring firmly at Zafrina's chin. Dang it, this was a time when Bella really hated that she couldn't look into Zafrina's eyes. She felt like she'd be taken a lot more seriously if she could just glare into Zafrina's red gaze. Sadly, while she had gotten a little better at not becoming mentally retarded upon eye contact, she wasn't at the point where Bella could stare into Zafrina's eyes and speak in full sentences.

Zafrina stared down at her mate as she tried to figure out what she should say. Then she glanced to Kachiri and Senna for help, but both purposely looked away, leaving whatever happened to rest on her shoulders. So she turned back to Bella once more, taking in her beautiful human.

They had only just gotten to the point where Zafrina could touch Isabella freely today. If Zafrina were to tell Isabella the truth-and she wouldn't dare lie, because she didn't want that to become the base of her relationship with her mate-would it scare her off? Make things worse? Or could it possibly make things progress?

"Well? Are you going to answer me or not?" Bella said, quite sassily if she could admit so herself, but she couldn't help it. She was frustrated and getting impatience, and she couldn't see a single reason for staying human. Especially since, even now, she craved not becoming a vampire, but craved becoming a part of the Amazon family. And that's what they were; not just a coven, but a true family of sisters.

A part of Bella worried that feeling this craving was a little too much like the craving of acceptance, of becoming a part of something, that Bella felt towards the Cullens. She didn't want anything that happened with them to happen again this time as well, and if she followed the exact same path, she feared that was exactly what was going to happen.

But somehow, for some reason, Bella could feel that her craving was different. It wasn't so she could spend her "forever" with a childish prick-because Bella was still very much pissed at Edward-or to just be able to feel wanted, but because she felt like she belonged. That's right; with the Cullens, Bella felt like she was struggling to feel included, struggling to belong, and she had believed becoming a vampire would make her a part of their family.

However, the Amazons were different. Despite them not always telling her what was going on, and despite the fact that they had originally kidnapped her and called her a prisoner, they were different. Bella didn't feel a need to become a vampire to become included. Actually, she already felt like she was part of their coven in a way she couldn't express. It was like there was some kind of tie linking all of them together, and that tie was strengthening between her and the three women every day.

That's right, the reason Bella wanted to become a vampire wasn't due to some desperate need to feel included. Bella wanted to become a vampire so she could live on equal ground with the people she was starting to consider her family.

All of these thoughts flashed through Bella's mind at a very quick rate. In fact, as Bella came to realize these things, all Zafrina had time to do was recognize the sassy tone and automatically feel her dom, coven leader switch get flipped.

For Isabella to be so mouthy...and still not look Zafrina in her eyes...had their relationship already gotten to the point where Isabella recognized that she was Zafrina's mate, the coven leader would have had Isabella on her back, with the girl begging for mercy and submitting to Zafrina. However, since they weren't at that level yet-and even Zafrina had to admit that the moment they were was most likely a very long time off-Zafrina originally wasn't sure how to respond. And she had to respond; she couldn't just let this go. While Zafrina did expect a mate who would tell her off when she did something stupid, a mate who wouldn't back down, an almost bratty tone wasn't something Zafrina would take.

It didn't take long for Zafrina to take hold of Bella's chin and force their gazes to meet. "My eyes are up here, Isabella. If you have something to say, meet my eyes."

Bella's mouth opened, but no words could come out. Her thoughts felt like they were fighting through sludge, and her mouth might just not be working any more.

"Speak," Zafrina ordered.

"Okay," was all Bella could manage to squeak, and not a bit more.

Well, at least they were talking more...sort of. Senna took hold of Kachiri's hand and pulled the other woman, who seemed to be analyzing as much as every twitch between Isabella and Zafrina, a little further away. She knew now was the best time to give them space and to let them work things out on their own; however, that didn't mean they wouldn't stay close enough to overhear and intervene in the case that Zafrina did something stupid.

"Do not make me repeat myself," Zafrina warned.

"Zafrina," was the next word that managed to come out of Bella's throat, and damn it, it wasn't much better than Bella's previous reply. Why couldn't she just manage to keep thinking, keep speaking, properly? If Zafrina would at least just lessen the intensity of her gaze...

There was just something about the way Isabella spoke her name that made Zafrina's eyes darken, and had her leaning a little bit closer to the human. Her thoughts completely derailed, Zafrina pressed her thumb against Bella's bottom lip and whispered, "Again."

Now, single words was something Bella could manage to say, and saying the vampire's name was something Bella had long-since gotten used to doing.. "Zafrina," Bella said, her voice sounding stronger than before.

In that moment, Zafrina wanted nothing more than to kiss the human. Her instincts, her desire, demanded that she did so. Yet, while Isabella might have realized that Zafrina was courting her, she doubted the human knew the extent of what their bond should be. And Zafrina really didn't want to mess anything up.

Bella actually still had no idea that Zafrina was courting her, and so was oblivious to Zafrina's struggle or desires. So of course, she still had no idea why Zafrina suddenly maneuvered her so that Bella was now sitting between Zafrina's legs, facing away from the vampire, as Zafrina rested her forehead against Bella's shoulder and struggled to calm down and regain control of herself.

"Isabella, I need a day. Wait," Zafrina said, explaining that she needed a day to consider how to tell Isabella what she was to the vampire.

That's right, she was going to do it. She was going to tell Isabella what she was; otherwise, the torture would just go on and on. Honestly, Zafrina doubted she was going to get much further in wooing without telling Isabella what she was to her first.

What? Did Zafrina mean she was going to turn Bella tomorrow? But...could it be Zafrina was trying to find the control to turn Bella without killing her? Bella apparently did smell really good, after all…

Thoughts still muddled, and still very confused, Bella simply shrugged and said, "Sure, take all the time that you need."

What? But Isabella had been requesting her answer now. Why did she suddenly change her mind? Zafrina lifted her head from Isabella's shoulder to stare at her human in befuddlement, but her thoughts were distracted once more when Bella leaned back against her, getting herself comfortable in the vampire's cold embrace. This brought Zafrina's face a little closer to Bella's throat, but Bella didn't notice, let alone care.

Zafrina licked her lips as Bella's delicious aroma wafted over her, but it wasn't in thirst. Oh no, it was in lustful desire, as what Bella had done seemed almost like an offering.

"Can I…?" Zafrina started in a soft whisper, only to trail off as she remembered that she was now allowed to touch without permission. So instead of asking, Zafrina reminded herself not to go too far as she ran her hands up Bella's sides.

At first, Bella had figured she'd just get more comfortable and relax now that Zafrina was holding her, but for some reason, Zafrina's touch had her alert to the point her nerve endings should have been on fire. As Zafrina stroked her sides, her arms, her stomach, and more, Bella felt herself get hotter and hotter, despite the vampire's cold temperature surrounding her. Even when Zafrina paused to play with Bella fingers, the heat didn't lessen.

As Zafrina continued to stroke and caress the human, the human started to squirm more and more, unsure as to why the vampire's touch was affecting her so. However, not only Zafrina, but Kachiri and Senna as well, could smell the girl's growing arousal.

 _Control,_ Zafrina reminded herself, even as she ran her fingers across Bella's stomach, but under her shirt, delighting in the human's reactions. _Control._ The coven leader buried her face in Bella's neck, inhaling deeply as she continued to touch, running a hand up Bella's thigh. Unable to help herself, she kissed Bella right on her pulse.

Bella, who had been so out of it due to the touch of Zafrina, didn't even know that she had been kissed. However, she did feel something touch her over her pulse, and she couldn't help but jump and squeak.

Feeling that her control would soon reach her limits, Zafrina changed the way she touched, a hint of desperation to her actions. She didn't stop touching, of course, especially seeing as she never wanted to, but instead of caressing, she started kneading, changing her touch from the touch of a lover to a simple massage. It wasn't long until Bella went from being on fire, to only feeling like her entire body was heated from the inside out.

There was just something about the way that Zafrina went about the massage that just felt so good...so very, very good. So good, in fact, that it wasn't long until Bella found herself nodding off.

Hours passed as Bella slept in Zafrina's arms, but the amazon couldn't bring herself to move or even climb the tree to get to the usual spot the pair spent their nights. Her entire body was buzzing, like she was on a high. And she was; that entire high based on being able to touch Isabella.

If this was what just touching Isabella did to her, what would a kiss with Isabella do to Zafrina? What would sex? Even after so much time had passed since Isabella had been awake, it still felt like Zafrina was on top of the world.

"Zafrina," Bella said, and the Amazon's gaze shot to Bella's face, worried she had somehow done something to wake her.

However, Bella was still deeply asleep as she shifted in Zafrina's arms, mumbling something unintelligible.

And then, it happened again. Very clearly, Bella mumbled, "Zafrina."

Zafrina's heart soared, and she felt a near-goofy grin appear on her features as she stared down at her mate. It had finally happened; Isabella had actually said her name in sleep. Isabella had said _Zafrina's_ name in sleep!

Could that mean Zafrina's plan was finally working? That she was finally occupying Isabella's thoughts despite the time of day and consciousness of her human?

Alright, then it's settled. From now on, Zafrina was going to make Isabella say her name even more from now on.

After all, Zafrina would do anything, and she truly meant _anything_ , to become the only one occupying Isabella's heart and mind. She would not rest until she heard the words "I love you" come from her mate.


	10. Chapter 10

_Author's Note: Guys, just so you all know, the amount of stories I'm writing doesn't effect my update speed. I'm sorry if you all think I'm being slow in updating or that I have too many unfinished stories, but I'm updating as fast as I can here. The truth is, even if I had half of the stories I do now, I would be updating at the same pace simply because I'm having trouble writing at the moment. If I just focused on some of my oldest stories, I wouldn't be able to update at all, and then you guys wouldn't have anything new of mine to read. I'm sorry if a lot of you or frustrated with the fact that I'm not updating some of my stories fast enough, but that's just how it is. In other news, I hope you all enjoy this chapter._

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Chapter 10

"Isabella," Zafrina spoke loudly in Bella's ear, waking the girl up with a start.

"Wha...what? What's happening? What's going on?" Bella asked, looking around worriedly as if expecting a threat. But she simply found that she was held tightly in Zafrina's arms, the amazon sitting on the ground and staring at the human intently.

"I love you," Zafrina declared. "You will allow me to court you."

Bella stared up at Zafrina, completely bewildered. It was way too early for her exhausted brain to come up with anything, let alone process whatever was apparently happening. So all she could say was, "...what?"

Zafrina opened her mouth to repeat herself, only for Senna to place a hand on Zafrina's shoulder, stopping her.

"You can't just wake a human up and drop a bomb on them like that, Zafrina," Kachiri chided as she sauntered over, which only confused Bella further. "At the very least, let her wake up first."

Zafrina frowned with annoyance. It had taken her hours of debating to figure out what she should do, what she should say, how she should approach the subject...and she had finally figured it out. It was only natural that something so important be told to Isabella as soon as possible. What had she done wrong?

 _Come on, brain, work. What did Zafrina tell me?_ Bella thought desperately, knowing it was important. Very important, even if Bella judged by the looks on the three amazons' faces alone. _Something about a...court?_

Zafrina turned to stare at her mate, still frowning. "When will you be fully awake?" she asked, trying not to let the frustration seep into her voice. She wanted Isabella to know the truth, wanted to tell her mate everything. For the first time in her life, she didn't want to wait.

Now that, Bella mostly understood. "I...I don't know," Bella said helplessly. It wasn't like she could control her body.

Zafrina let out a low hiss. Sensing the coven leader's emotional turmoil, Bella leaned into Zafrina while taking Zafrina's hand with her own, offering comfort. The vampire quickly relaxed, but not enough to stop from keeping her anxious gaze on Bella.

Senna left after a few moments of silence, and returned later with some food for the human. It was cooked and handed over to Zafrina. Even as Zafrina took it from her sister, she never removed her eyes from Isabella's face, trying to judge if the human was awake enough for Zafrina's news.

Bella, aware of Zafrina's intense gaze, started to fidget self consciously, keeping her eyes down and wondering just what she had missed hearing. Since she made no move to try to eat the food, too focused on Zafrina, Zafrina started to rip off pieces and feed them to Bella. Automatically, Bella opened her mouth for each piece of meat, which, even in Zafrina's distracted state, pleased the coven leader immensely. It had, after all, felt like an eternity since Zafrina had last done this for the human, and she had missed being able to do it.

Only when Bella started making noises of protest, trying to say that she was beyond stuffed, that Zafrina stopped feeding the human and set the remaining meat aside.

Then, once more, silence descended. Bella was still stuck in Zafrina's lap and had resumed her fidgeting, and Zafrina once again focused completely on staring at Bella, waiting to see if she was awake enough yet. It got to the point that Senna rolled her eyes in annoyance and turned away to leave the two to themselves, but Kachiri grabbed her wrist to stop her. She knew how important this moment was, and was afraid that if they left Zafrina and Isabella alone, their coven leader would mess things up greatly. So the two decided with nothing more than a glance that they would keep their distance, but be prepared to interfere.

"Isabella," Zafrina said after a few more moments of silence. The human didn't look at her, so she took the human's chin in her hand and tilted Bella's head up to meet Zafrina's eyes. "You are awake now."

 _I don't know,_ Bella thought desperately, the stress of Zafrina's dark gaze on hers getting to her. _I just don't know. But the eye contact...if you'd just stop doing that...I can't focus on your words when you look at me, so...god, what was I saying?_

"Zafrina," Kachiri spoke up, sensing the problem. "Let her look away from you."

Zafrina frowned at that, glancing up at Kachiri with annoyed confusion. Bella let out a breath of relief as she was released, but Zafrina didn't notice, focused on her coven mate. "Why? Eye contact is necessary for serious discussion. Especially in mates."

Bella stiffened as she heard and processed Zafrina's words, and then her gaze flew up to Zafrina's face in shock. "In _what_?" she squeaked. "What do you mean, _in mates_?"

 _Oh. Perhaps I have made a mistake by announcing it in this fashion,_ Zafrina thought, turning her gaze back to her now agitated human. But at least Isabella was clearly awake now. "You are my mate, Isabella. Therefore, I need to court you. You will allow this." There, that was a much better way to tell her.

"What?" Bella exclaimed, still in shock. "So you mean to say...I'm your mate? Since when? Why? How? What do you-"

Zafrina let out a frustrated noise as she covered Bella's mouth with her hand, silencing the confused babble. Then she stared down at Isabella, not sure what to do next, and stupidly on Bella's part, she had made eye contact and now was nearly as lost as Zafrina was. However, Zafrina was certainly more confused and lost in every regard. The vampire hadn't expected this response from her mate, but then again, she didn't know exactly what she expected Isabella's response in the first place. It appeared that she should have come into the situation more prepared.

"You are my mate," Zafrina repeated, staring intently into Bella's eyes, like that would help Isabella get over her intense emotions. In her mind, nothing else mattered; not the how or why or when, even if it could all be explained. It was simple; Bella was her mate, and that was all there was to it.

Kachiri sighed, knowing that Zafrina wasn't about to try to explain things. Walking over, she took hold of Isabella's chin-something Zafrina hissed at her about, but Kachiri ignored that-and turned the girl's head towards her. She then had to wait for the dazed look in Isabella's eyes to clear before saying, "She knew the moment she saw you, Isabella," Kachiri explained. "That's what happens with vampires. The second their eyes meet their mate's, the bond is formed, and often undeniable from the get go. The only reason you don't feel the same way is because you're human."

"But then…" Bella started, memories from her time with Edward surfacing in her mind. "I...the other coven I was with. There was this boy among them, and he said I was his-"

"Mine!" Zafrina snarled, arms snaking around Bella's waist and jerking the girl tightly against her body. All she had to do was hear the words "I was his" and that was enough. For anyone else to try to claim _her_ mate...never before had Zafrina felt such an intense urge to slaughter someone.

Bella looked up into Zafrina's black eyes, and thankfully this time, she wasn't hypnotized; most likely because those eyes weren't focused on hers, but instead, an imaginary threat. As if Edward was about to pop out and try to take Bella away from her.

"Whoever you're speaking of was never your mate," Kachiri explained gently. "The proof is right in front of you. No vampire could ever willingly leave their mate, yet this coven of yours abandoned you. The boy who said you were his," -this got another immediate hiss from Zafrina- "was either incredibly deluded or outright lying to you."

"I see," Bella murmured. And she really did understand, as the proof truly was right in front of her. Not only was Edward not here, but Zafrina was, clutching tightly, almost fearfully, at Bella at even the thought that Bella could be taken away.

Without thinking, Bella reached out and caressed Zafrina's cheek with her fingertips, eyes never leaving Zafrina's face. She got to watch and feel as Zafrina calmed, body loosening, lips once again covering her teeth, which had previously been bared in a snarl. The previously black eyes lightened and warmed, once again focusing on Bella. For the first time, Bella met those eyes without a fear of losing her mind. Instead, she focused on what she saw-the warmth and love in Zafrina's gaze-and felt overwhelmed with a sweet heat she had never felt before. Thankfully, she wasn't even badly hypnotized, as Zafrina wasn't staring at Bella with that dominant intensity that she usually did, so Bella truly didn't have any worries.

How could Bella have not noticed Zafrina's feelings before, even when hypnotized? The woman's feelings were so clear, with no effort made to hide them, and Bella knew that Zafrina's eyes had always been this way. It made Bella feel bitter towards herself, knowing that she had been avoiding that gaze for so long, despite the risks.

But still...now that Bella had thought back on everything that happened, even if Bella had never once looked into Zafrina's face, Bella should have felt Zafrina's love for her. How could she have been so dense? Sure, Zafrina didn't exactly help matters along due to the fact the vampire was so clumsy in expressing her emotions, but still. Bella felt she should have picked up on something by now.

The only reason she could think of as to why she hadn't picked up on Zafrina's love for her was Edward. He had so destroyed her with his parting comments before abandoning her in the forest that it had destroyed her emotionally. Had made her so believe that she couldn't be loved, that she would ignore the most blatant of signs telling her otherwise, whether those feelings came from Zafrina...or whether those signs came from Bella falling in love with the amazon herself.

Bella didn't let herself linger on that fact, no matter how true it was. This was about her and Zafrina, and Bella refused to let Edward ruin that.

Lifting her other hand, she cupped Zafrina's face with both hands, continuing to stare up into her eyes. "So, Zafrina…" she started, "Say it again?"

Zafrina stared down at Bella, once again starting to frown and cocked her head to the side, clearly confused. What did Isabella want her to say? What could she have said that made Bella need to hear it again? It took her a few moments of thought, but then she remembered something from her own experiences, what she had made Isabella say every day as much as she could. And now that Isabella's thumb had brushed her lower lip...she could only want one thing, right?

"Isabella," Zafrina whispered, saying the name like a prayer.

Bella felt her entire body warm at Zafrina's words, even as she let out a low laugh. "That wasn't what I wanted you to say, but thank you."

Now Zafrina was even more confused than before. She turned to look for Senna and Kachiri for help, but didn't even manage that, because Bella's grip on her face tightened, keeping Zafrina's eyes on her. And while Zafrina could easily ignore or break the hold, she didn't; something deep inside was telling her not to. And even if she had ignored Bella's hold on her and looked to Kachiri and Senna, it wouldn't have done any good. Sensing that pretty much nothing could go wrong at that point, the two had fled, leaving Isabella and Zafrina alone.

"Oh, no you don't," Bella said once Zafrina's eyes met hers again. "This is just between you and me, we don't need any outside help."

"But I do not know what you want," Zafrina said, a touch of desperation to her voice. She wanted so badly to please her mate, that was clear, and it was beyond adorable to see the big bad coven leader trying so hard. Of course, Bella would never say that out loud; something told her that Zafrina would get pretty grumpy at being called adorable.

"Tell me, what am I to you?" Bella said, helping Zafrina along.

"My mate?" Zafrina replied, the hesitance in her voice making the words sound like a question.

"Right," Bella murmured with a small smile, her voice soft, overwhelmed at what those two words did to her. Never in her life could she believe she would feel this good. "Now, say it again for me?"

"You are my mate, Isabella," Zafrina stated, confidence blazing not just from her voice, but her eyes, temporarily making Bella fall into that hypnotized state again. Who would have thought that was what Isabella wanted to hear? If she wanted to hear Zafrina say those words, Zafrina would say them. Every day, as much as she could, for the rest of eternity, in fact.

Bella swallowed hard as she continued to stare into Zafrina's face. Now that she knew of Zafrina's feelings-not to mention her own-it was nearly overwhelming. So overwhelming, in fact, that Bella just had to kiss Zafrina.

So she did.

* * *

 _Author's Note: There, the moment you've all probably been waiting for. Hope it was okay._


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

The kiss could have gone on for eternity, or maybe just a second, but it was the best moment in Bella's life so far. It just felt so right, not to mention delicious, and Zafrina definitely knew how to kiss. And as the kiss continued, Zafrina's arms wrapped around Bella's waist, drawing the girl closer, making her feel protected and loved and cherished in just that one simple gesture.

Eventually, the kiss broke, leaving Bella feeling light headed and warm, all the way down to her toes. Zafrina started to pull back to look into Bella's face, amazement in those gorgeous red eyes. Before she could, her mouth was captured in another kiss by her mate. Bella just couldn't get enough of her, and she never wanted the moment to end.

This time, the kiss wasn't so chaste and new. It felt like Bella and Zafrina had already kissed hundreds of times, like they knew how each other would react before either of them so much as twitched. So when Bella's lips parted for a gasp of air, Zafrina let her, right before her tongue slipped into Bella's mouth to tangle and dominate the human, taking her time in doing so. She made it clear, just with her tongue, that she had all the time in the world to dominate Bella, and that she had no concern that Bella would do anything other than submit.

Bella let out a soft sigh of pleasure, winding her arms around Zafrina's neck and pulling her closer, needing to feel the length of Zafrina's body against her own. She shivered lightly and gasped as Zafrina's fingers slipped up the back of her shirt to skate along the skin of her lower back, letting out a low purr.

Once again, it was Zafrina who broke the kiss. Bella let out a soft sound of complaint and tried to go in for another kiss, but Zafrina put a finger against Bella's lips, stopping her. It didn't stop Bella for long. Feeling bold, the human took the digit into her mouth, first licking the length before sucking it.

Zafrina's eyes instantly turned black, her entire body freezing up so it felt like Bella was simply seated and partially grinding against a soft statue rather than a woman. Finally, Zafrina managed to whisper, "I'm supposed to be wooing you."

"Trust me," Bella murmured, pushing Zafrina's hand aside as she leaned in, her target once again Zafrina's lips, "What we're doing is definitely wooing me."

The amazon was quick to give in, taking the initiative to kiss Bella this time. She had never felt so much desire, so much need for anyone. She could spend an eternity simply kissing Bella, and Bella definitely felt the same. It was going to take some serious mojo on Zafrina's part to get Bella to stop.

This kiss picked up in intensity. It was just a little faster, a little harder, a little hungrier. Still, despite her raging desire for her mate, Zafrina was mindful of every touch, every kiss, every caress. She wasn't stupid; she knew how easy it would be to lose control and possibly injure Bella, especially after holding herself back for so long. And while Zafrina wanted more, wanted to take and claim Bella in every fashion now that Bella knew that she belonged to Zafrina, she couldn't. It wasn't even just that Zafrina was afraid that she might accidentally harm her mate in some way, but it simply wasn't Zafrina's way. She still felt that she had to court Bella properly; one didn't just skip right to sex once they announced their intentions after all. Not if they wanted to prove themselves as worthy.

Bella's hands snuck between their bodies, sliding up Zafrina's stomach, reveling in the ability to touch Zafrina's exposed skin.

A long time ago, she thought she had wanted Edward in this way. And the way she wanted him was nothing, not even a speck of dirt, in comparison with how much she wanted Zafrina.

Sadly, it was at this moment that Zafrina stopped her mate. Capturing Bella's hands with one of her own, Zafrina, for the third time, broke the kiss and pulled away. Once again, Bella moved in, hoping to steal another. Only this time, Zafrina's intense red eyes caught hers, freezing the human in place.

"You are mine, Isabella," Zafrina told the human. "But I must court you."

"You have, you are," Bella said, stumbling over the words as she tried to move her gaze from Zafrina's, preferably to look at something more enjoyable.

It was Bella's own thoughts that stopped her, and she blushed a bright red, mortified. She couldn't believe she had just thought that! God, had she turned into Mike Newton or something? Her behavior was almost pathetic now.

"Not properly," Zafrina insisted. "I must court you, and you will let me."

Bella, still stuck staring into Zafrina's eyes, was filled with disbelief and confusion. "What is…?" Bella tried to speak, which only got harder as Zafrina's gaze got more intense. "How do…? You…" Why couldn't she speak properly? She sounded like such an idiot it was ridiculous!

Zafrina started to answer, only to pause, confused herself. Besides what she was doing, how did one court another properly? Her human memories were fuzzy enough, but back then, she hadn't paid any attention to how other women would court to know what to do properly. Gifts were involved, visits, caresses and kisses were exchanged...what else was there? If she couldn't remember, how was she supposed to court Isabella properly?

As she thought about this, she happened to look away from Bella, releasing her and giving her time to think herself.

"Kachiri and Senna," Zafrina announced proudly. They had to know, despite how their own mating was a little unorthodox.

"What about them?" Bella asked, clearly bewildered. Did Zafrina need their permission or something? Did Bella?

"They know," Zafrina stated, pulling Bella against her body, unable to help herself.

"Know _what?_ " Bella asked with clear exasperation, feeling the need to throw her hands in the air at just how confusing and ridiculous their conversation was getting. She quickly replayed the conversation in her head, and couldn't believe what she thought Zafrina meant. "Wait a second," Bella said, pushing away from Zafrina to stare up into the amazon's face incredulously. "You mean to tell me that you want to 'court me properly' but don't even know how so you need to ask Kachiri and Senna for help? Are you serious?"

Zafrina actually had the decency to look sheepish, looking away and scratching the back of her head. "My memories are fuzzy," she replied, sounding almost petulant.

Bella wanted to laugh, Zafrina sounded so cute and funny. Instead, she sighed and said, "How about this? You said that vampires feel the mating bond much stronger than a human can, right?" Zafrina nodded, her eyes clouded with confusion, as she had no idea where Bella was going with her idea. "So how about you turn me into a vampire so we can feel our bond equally, and then we just let our instincts tell us what to do?"

"Sex," Zafrina stated, her black eyes seeming to darken impossibly further as she pulled Bella tighter against her.

"Wh-what?" Bella stuttered as Zafrina's eyes gained that powerful intensity again.

Zafrina swallowed hard, trying to get her own desire, which had sprung up at the thought of what a turned Bella would do, under control. "Our instincts," she started slowly. "That's what they would tell us to do." To make love, bite, take...it all sounded so good to the more bestial, instinct driven part of Zafrina.

"Oh," Bella squeaked, her voice small. Honestly, that didn't sound like a bad thing to Bella's hormone riddled brain, but she wasn't about to say that out loud.

"That won't be courting. That will be claiming," Zafrina stated after a long silence. And when she realized that Bella clearly wasn't lost or confused anymore about what Zafrina was explaining, she felt an unexpected surge of pride. It appeared that Zafrina was getting better with communicating, and it made her happy, despite her intense desire.

Bella, brushing a brighter red than ever, didn't even dare look at Zafrina now, not with all the thoughts of the amazon's naked body floating around in her mind. Still, she had to say something, didn't she? Already, she wanted to kiss more, touch more...her awkward amazon was seriously addictive. In Bella's mind, waiting around with Bella as a human seemed ridiculous to her. Staying human meant that Zafrina had to be careful around her, had to keep protecting her from everything, and worst of all, Bella wouldn't be able to feel the full effects of the mating bond. She already felt horrible about not feeling it for so long, like she had let Zafrina down and tortured her in some way by not realizing sooner.

Being a vampire just seemed like a better option to her. Sure, following her instincts might mean immediate sex, but she was already in love with Zafrina-despite how long it took Bella to realize it-and it wasn't like she could ever imagine regretting having sex with tall, dark, and gorgeous. On top of that, being able to feel the mating bond, being able to stand by Zafrina's side as an equal, and the idea of claiming each other made the situation a thousand times better. She didn't understand what reasons Zafrina would have to wait.

"You know, even married couples go on dates," Bella blurted, and once again found herself as red as a tomato. Mentioning marriage? Talk about jumping the gun, Bella! How stupid do you want to sound?

Zafrina cocked her head to the side, regarding her mate curiously. "Marriage…?" she murmured, enjoying the thought of Bella as her bride immensely.

"No, not like that. I never even wanted to marry until now-I mean, not that I want to get married to you immediately, I just wanted to say...no, I wanted to explain...um, see, marriage, um, you know-mmph!"

Zafrina, watching her mate get more and more frantic and babble at a faster and faster pace, had swooped in to cover Bella's mouth with her own, silencing the human in the most enjoyable fashion imaginable. She pulled away before anything could get too intense, leaving her mate dazed and flushed. Zafrina herself had been surprised by the move she had pulled, but she certainly planned on doing it again. But for now, she waited patiently for her mate to fully come back to her senses.

"Right," Bella said, taking a deep breath. "Thanks, Zafrina, I needed that." She immediately heard Zafrina purr in response, making her blush, even as a small smile curled her lips. Looking down at her hands, she continued. "What I meant was, the whole claiming thing doesn't mean that you can't keep courting me. Like, even after a human couple is happily married, they still take each other out on dates, keep giving each other gifts, keep learning things about each other."

She risked a glance up at Zafrina, who simply blinked down at her, wondering exactly what Bella was getting at. Sure, the vampire had an idea, but she expected Bella to explain herself further. And while Bella hadn't planned on saying anything else, one look into Zafrina's expectant face had her blabbering even more.

"I'm just trying to say, I don't understand why I should stay human. This might just be a wild guess, but I bet you've been courting me since I've gotten here, and that had to be at least a few months or something now, right?" Of course, Bella wasn't sure about that, as she had lost all track of time. "And if courting is so important to you, we can keep doing that long after I've been turned. But you don't even know what you're supposed to do to keep courting me, so the more time we spend with me human, I feel like the more time we're wasting." Bella's face felt so hot, she was a little afraid she'd spontaneously combust. Especially when she added, pretty hesitantly, "This might sound really stupid to you, especially since you feel like we have an eternity, but I just...I feel like every day with you is an amazing gift, and I want to remember every single one. And so many days spent with you are already going to be so fuzzy once I'm turned, I don't want to risk losing or forgetting any others."

Bella let out an involuntary gasp as Zafrina suddenly crushed Bella against her, still careful not to bruise her, and buried her face in Bella's neck, breathing in her scent and reveling in Bella's warmth. To know her mate felt like this, it just-well, it made Zafrina unsure of what to feel. Moved felt like too pathetic a word, and nothing seemed to fit with just how amazing Zafrina felt in that moment.

Bella's words alone made Zafrina want to turn her, right then and there. But still, she hesitated. It felt like things were moving too fast, and she was so afraid of something going wrong. Afraid that if she didn't court Bella properly, if she didn't drown Bella in Zafrina's love, that Bella might still leave her. She wanted to make sure that there was no chance of that happening.

Somehow, Bella sensed Zafrina's turmoil. She cupped the amazon's face in her hands and pulled her face up so that they could meet eye to eye. "Zafrina," Bella murmured, and Zafrina's gut clenched wonderfully, just hearing Bella say her name. The next three words, however, made Zafrina's eyes widen and her breath catch. "I love you. I've loved you for awhile now, but I've just been too dense to realize it. Whatever you're afraid of doesn't matter. If something happens, we'll work through it together. That's what mates do."

Zafrina's eyes actually seemed to fill up with tears as she spoke the words that came straight from her heart. "I love you too, Isabella. I never knew how much I needed you until I found you." And Isabella was right; while each day spent with Isabella as a human was special in its own way, everything would change for the better once she became a vampire.

Resolved, Zafrina leaned in, her lips brushing against Bella's pulsepoint. "I'm sorry," she whispered, knowing just how much pain the bite would cause her human, and how much more pain Isabella would feel when she started to change.

Not once did Bella's heart even stutter in fear. The human was, in fact, almost supernaturally calm as she stroked Zafrina's long hair. "Don't apologize. We both want this, after all."

Zafrina smiled against Bella's neck, humming her agreement. Then, before she could linger on how much pain she was about to cause Isabella, Zafrina kissed the human's pulsepoint. Next, her teeth gently grazed Bella's skin, followed by a light nip. Then, Zafrina laved the spot with her tongue. With each touch from her mouth, she showed just how much she loved and cherished Bella, and it was so moving it brought tears to Bella's eyes.

Feeling choked up from her own emotion, Bella whispered, "Say it one more time."

This time, Zafrina knew exactly what Bella wanted to hear. "I love you, Isabella," she whispered, lips moving against Bella's skin. Then Zafrina bit, cutting right through Bella's skin, getting her first and last taste of her mate's blood; a taste she would remember forever as she pumped her venom into her mate's veins.

When Kachiri and Senna finally came back to the clearing, they found a changing Bella in Zafrina's arms, their proud and strong coven leader bent over her, clutching the human to her chest, eyes filled with unshed tears as she waited for Isabella to wake up for the last time.

* * *

 _Author's Note: Okay, I know that things happened really fast and all, but I felt like it needed to done. If I didn't do all of that mumbo jumbo above, it just felt like I would really start dragging things along and all, you know? Still, despite that fast pace, I hoped you all enjoyed it._


	12. Chapter 12

_Author's Note: Just so everyone knows, I did not get my mojo back. In fact, this was actually very hard for me to write. I only managed to finish this chapter because I had managed to write most of it before I got my writer's block. I have no idea when I'll be able to post another chapter of anything, so please don't get your hopes up. Thanks in advance to everyone for their patience and understanding._

* * *

Chapter 12

It felt like an eternity had passed with Bella in agony, but then the pain slowly started to fade. Bella then started to wake up for the last time. Her eyelids fluttered, and when she heard a sharp intake of breath, her eyes opened to meet a woman's gaze.

The first thing Bella should have noticed was that she was in someone's arms. Instead, all she could focus on was the gorgeous red eyes staring down into hers. It was all too easy to get lost in them, and that's exactly what Bella found herself doing.

"Beautiful," the owner of the eyes murmured, her voice alone hitting a chord in Bella and making the brunette's insides quiver. The vampire then touched Bella's face with the hand that wasn't holding the brunette tightly against her body, feeling the new cool skin of her mate, relieved that the painful turning process was over.

 _You're telling me,_ Bella thought in reply as she took in the gorgeous face of the woman above her, overwhelmed by the woman alone. Unable to help herself, Bella shifted her position so that she was now pressed against the amazon, wrapping her arms around Zafrina's neck. Her entire body was buzzing, reacting to the woman holding her. It was like Bella was born to simply find her way into Zafrina's arms, and the newborn loved it.

A small part of Bella knew that she was a vampire now, knew that there was going to be so much to learn and explore and experience, but Bella just couldn't imagine anything beyond Zafrina right then. To Bella, her world _was_ Zafrina, and she already had a lot to experience and explore; it was right there in front of her.

"Isabella. You are alright?" Zafrina said, sounding a little anxious since her mate hadn't said a word.

"Mm," Bella replied, pressing her face against Zafrina's throat and inhaling the woman's scent. It was a delicious, wild, homey smell, one Bella could never forget.

That's right. This was home. Not the city or the forest, but this woman was Bella's home, and it always would be. However, it wasn't thoughts of home that made Bella's mouth water; it was something much more primal.

Taking Zafrina by surprise, Bella shoved Zafrina onto her back, pinning her to the ground, and gave her mate a hungry smile. All she could imagine was kissing, touching, and taking the woman under her, and that was just what Bella was going to do.

The newborn didn't even get to peel off Zafrina's shirt before the coven leader flipped them over with Bella stuck on her stomach. Now Bella was the one pinned as Zafrina pulled Bella's arms behind her and pressed against Bella's back.

"You are not the dominant one, my mate," Zafrina whispered into Bella's ear, eyes darkening to black as she scented not just her own arousal, but Bella's as well. "It doesn't matter how strong you are."

Bella let out a frustrated snarl, but she didn't mind being on the bottom. She just wanted to fuck. To claim.

As Bella's arousal strengthened, so did Zafrina's desire. She lowered her face and kissed Bella's neck, making the newborn growl and writhe under her.

"Zafrina," Bella groaned, tilting her head to the side for more access to her neck.

"Say my name again," Zafrina ordered, scraping her teeth over the skin she had just kissed. While she had originally been worried about her mate, and ready to welcome Isabella into her new life, now all she could think of was needing to make love to her clearly willing mate.

Before anything further could happen between them, someone nearby cleared her throat, catching both Zafrina and Bella's attention. Bella's eyes snapped towards the intruder with a threatening hiss, while Zafrina had to tighten her grip on Bella to stop her from lashing out at her sisters.

"Sorry to interrupt," Kachiri said, not sounding sorry at all. She didn't even give the furious newborn a glance, instead focusing on Zafrina, who would have the clearer head of the two. "I just felt it best that Isabella hunt before you two start fucking each other right in front of us."

Zafrina let out a soft sigh and shoved her annoyance aside. Her sister was right, and Zafrina herself had been planning on going at least a little slower with Isabella after she had been changed. She glanced down at Bella and noticed that her mate was still furiously fixated on those who had interrupted them, and wondered how she should redirect Isabella's attention. Usually she would just use her gift, but as her gift didn't work on Isabella...well, she would obviously have to try and figure out another way to distract her mate. Preferably in a way that wouldn't serve to distract Zafrina as well.

Senna also realized the slight problem and reached out to her own mate, touching Kachiri on the shoulder. They shared a look, a whole conversation passing between them, before they took off to leave their coven leader and the newborn alone.

As soon as they were gone, Bella once again fixated on her mate. She rolled over so that she was once again on her back, letting out a low purr as she nuzzled Zafrina's neck. A hand slid up Zafrina's bare stomach, her destination being Zafrina's breasts under her top, but Zafrina caught her hand just in time.

"No," Zafrina said, staring deep into Bella's eyes to make it clear this was an order Isabella shouldn't go against. Unlike when Bella was a human, the girl didn't simply stare into Zafrina's eyes and nod in agreement, or even look away. Instead, Bella's eyes quickly darkened to black, and while she seemed distracted, she also appeared more turned on that ever.

On some instinct Bella didn't realize she had, she pulled her hand closer to her own body, causing Zafrina's hand, which was still gripping Bella's wrist, to follow. Then she changed her grip so that she was now lightly holding onto Zafrina's hand, and took Zafrina's pointer finger into her mouth, sucking lightly. While she wasn't sure why at the moment, she knew that Zafrina would like it, and she was right.

Zafrina's eyes couldn't get any darker, and she gritted her teeth, trying to find a reason not to jump the newborn and take her in every way imaginable.

"Isabella," Zafrina all but hissed as she jerked her hand away. "You must hunt."

Bella didn't care about hunting. All she cared about was the gorgeous woman above her. So with a coy smile, she reached up, planning on ripping off Zafrina's clothes and giving the coven leader another reason to give in to her desire.

Once again, Zafrina had Bella pinned in only a second. This time, Bella found her hand above her head, with a seemingly angry coven leader towering above her. Bella tried to move towards Zafrina, tried to rub up against Zafrina as she let out a whine of apology-she didn't like the idea of her mate being mad at her, after all-but she couldn't do it. While Bella did have more strength than Zafrina at the moment, breaking Zafrina's hold just to apologize would only make Zafrina angrier. At least, that's what Bella thought.

In truth, Zafrina wasn't angry. She understood that Isabella was being driven by instinct, and that for some reason, the newborn's lust greatly overpowered her need for blood. What Zafrina was doing was simply laying down the law. She was not just the dominant one in the pair, but she was also Isabella's creator and coven leader. Zafrina couldn't just let Isabella run wild or think she could do what she wanted, especially in her first year of life. She couldn't even let Isabella go, unsure if the newborn would try anything under the pretext of an apology. She had seen something similar happen between Kachiri and Senna after Kachiri had first been turned, and had watched the fights for dominance that had happened as a result.

Bella, growing more and more frustrated and worried that her apology wasn't going to be accepted, finally decided to give Zafrina the ultimate submission. She went limp under the Amazon, making it clear she wasn't going to fight Zafrina in any way, and bared her throat for the taking.

Zafrina recognized the act, and was all too eager to accept it. Driven by passion, need, and dominance, she didn't bother taking her time. Instead, before a second could even pass, she had her teeth fastened on Bella's throat, taking it hard enough that Bella could feel the pressure, but not enough to break skin.

It was hard for Bella to keep still, simply because she wanted to surge up and feel the length of Zafrina's body against hers, but she managed. She kept completely immobile, submissive, until Zafrina was done.

Letting go of Bella's throat, Zafrina pulled back, although not far. "You will hunt. Now," she whispered, her lips brushing against Bella's skin with every word. Giving Bella's throat a final kiss, Zafrina added, "Listen." She knew that there were poachers nearby, and knew they would be easy prey the human world wouldn't miss too much.

Had Bella been human, she would have been panting. It was near impossible for her to focus on anything else but Zafrina, especially after Zafrina had taken her throat, which had been a lot more erotic than Bella would have expected. And seeing that Zafrina was still on top of her...well, could anyone blame Bella for her distraction?

It took some time, but Bella eventually managed to focus on things beyond the gorgeous woman pinning her to the ground. And it didn't take long for her to hear two men only a few miles away. The more she focused on them, the more she could hear, and it wasn't long before her mouth was watering and her throat was burning at the sound of the two mens' heartbeats. Despite this, she didn't so much as twitch, still showing her submission to Zafrina.

That didn't mean that Zafrina didn't sense the change in her mate. She knew where Isabella would, what she would do, the second she was allowed.

She released Isabella without a word, yet her actions were more than enough to convey to the newborn what Zafrina was allowing. Bella was on her feet in a heartbeat, threw a look over her shoulder to her mate, making it clear that Zafrina should follow, and then took off in the direction of the two men.

Zafrina couldn't help but smile at how her mate moved through the forest, like she was as much a part of the Amazon as she was a part of Zafrina. And of course the coven leader followed, not to ensure that the hunt would go well, but because she wanted to be with her mate and watch Isabella in action.

When Isabella found them and pounced, Zafrina had been in awe of her mate. However, it was clear that neither men had been a clean kill. Not only was blood everywhere, but the poachers had been in a lot of pain before their deaths, and one had even been left alive, tossed aside as Isabella had focused on the tastier of the two, which had left Zafrina to kill and drain him. Zafrina didn't care about the agony the two humans had felt, but she had expected Isabella to show some remorse over them and was already trying to figure out how she was supposed to console her mate. Instead, the newborn turned to Zafrina, clear hunger for Zafrina's body in her eyes as she stalked forward.

"You must bathe," Zafrina said despite her own instincts screaming at her to take Isabella. But a blood-covered lovemaking wasn't a good idea for a first time; it had to be special, judging from what she remembered of the gossip during her human life. And Zafrina was determined to make Isabella's first time special, despite not knowing exactly how she was supposed to do that.

Bella paused at Zafrina's words, and since she wasn't being driven insane with need because of Zafrina's scent, was actually able to think Zafrina's words over. Then she nodded, holding out her hand for Zafrina to take, hoping the woman would lead her and then have sex either in or next to the river. Because even mostly sane, she couldn't get her mind off of how much she desired Zafrina.

For a moment, Zafrina didn't take it, having been distracted by the shine of the still-present overlapping bites on Bella's hand. A strange darkness started to well up in her, and she knew that at one point, she was going to have to add her own bite, just so she could fully claim every inch of Isabella's as hers. Then her mind wandered to who made the second vampire bite, as well as the fact that he was still living and unpunished.

Refusing to let her own fury at what someone else had done ruin her time with her mate, she pushed those particular thoughts to the back of her mind. Then she took Isabella's hand, lacing their fingers together, and started to lead her towards the Amazon River at a quick pace that only just managed to not seem desperate.

In the past, Isabella had been brought wet cloths, a bucket of water, a dry cloth, a bin big enough for her to sit in, and soap. Then she was left to her own devices without Kachiri and Senna present, and with Zafrina refusing to look at her lest she completely lose her control. This was going to be the first time that Isabella was actually going to get to bathe properly, as well as the first time Zafrina would get to see Isabella naked. And to say Zafrina wasn't staring with dark eyes and a slack jaw would be a complete lie.

Despite this, as Bella pulled her shirt over her head, feeling shy but too desperate to stop, Zafrina caught her hands, stopping her.

"Are...You are sure?" Zafrina asked awkwardly, just in case Bella had been after her in a newborn mate induced haze and wasn't actually ready.

Bella's eyebrow rose. "Do you mean am I sure that I want to bathe so I'm no longer covered in blood?"

At first, Zafrina felt a swell of panic. She immediately thought she had misinterpreted something and that Isabella truly only wanted to take a bath, and that they weren't about to have sex now that her mind was clear. Had she been human, she would have been blushing a bright red, but instead she only looked incredibly flustered. That is, until Isabella let out a soft laugh, wound her arms around Zafrina's neck, and gave the coven leader a soft, quick kiss.

"I'm sure," Bella murmured as she backed away from her mate and pulled her shirt over her head, tossing it to the side. While she had been shy and nervous at first, she now felt nothing but desirable as Zafrina's gaze dropped to her exposed breasts, the lusty look in her eyes unmistakable. "I want you, Zafrina. I want to make love with you, claim you, and…" At that moment, Zafrina looked back up, into Bella's eyes, and the newborn lost her train of thought. Swallowing hard, all she could do was remove her bottoms, baring herself completely, before backing up slowly, immersing herself in the water.

"Isabella," Zafrina breathed, taking in every inch of the newborn's body, even before Bella had submerged herself. Even if Zafrina had been the most articulate vampire in existence, she still would have been struck speechless by her gorgeous mate. And to think that Isabella would soon be hers was unbelievable.

"Come on," Bella finally managed to say, beckoning to Zafrina in what she hoped was a sexy gesture.

Not needing any further encouragement, Zafrina ripped off her clothes, and now Bella was the one who was stunned as Zafrina's perfect curves were revealed. But she didn't have long to ogle, as in a simple moment, Zafrina was in the water with her, Zafrina's burning gaze capturing hers.

Zafrina waded toward her, still choked up over the idea that this was actually about to happen.

Not only was she going to have her mate, going to claim her in every way, but a part of her was still amazed that she actually got her mate in the first place. And for her mate to be such an amazing girl, to be her Isabella…

Finally in front of the newborn, Zafrina took Isabella in her arms. Isabella, seeing the power of the coven leader's emotions in her eyes, felt similar emotions well up in her.

Who would have thought that after all Bella had gone through, she'd end up with such an amazing, beautiful, and loving woman?

"Zafrina," Bella murmured, wrapping her arms around Zafrina's neck. She pulled the taller woman close so that their bodies pressed against each other, the sparks she felt from the skin contact alone taking her breath away. "I love you."

In response, all Zafrina could think to do was give Bella a kiss.

So that's exactly what Zafrina did.


	13. Chapter 13

_Author's Note: Guess who's feeling better? That's right, me! Sorry for the long wait, guys, but hopefully I'm finally back._

* * *

Chapter 13

The two's passion reached new heights incredibly quickly. Neither could control their urges, their desire for each other taking over. It wasn't simply a _want_ for their mate's body, but a _need._ A need that couldn't be denied. If any of them had any trepidation, all worries flew out the window the second they laid eyes on each other's naked body.

At first, instinct took over for Bella. Despite sensing her mate's age and power, she wanted to make a try for dominance, if only playfully. However, it only took a few seconds of wrestling before Zafrina had her pinned, bent over the bank of the river with Bella's lower half in the water. She then began punishing the newborn with her fingers, taking her from behind in the most delicious way, making Bella moan and squirm.

Zafrina couldn't keep her mouth off of her mate. She just had to kiss, lick, and nip at Bella's skin, paying special attention to Bella's neck, shoulder, and jaw. She brought Bella to a screaming climax twice, but it still wasn't enough for the Amazon. She wanted to pleasure her mate even further.

For a reason Zafrina didn't understand, Bella tried to get up, so Zafrina pushed Bella back down with a frown, pinning her in place. Didn't Bella understand that Zafrina wasn't done? That she still had so much skin to explore, and climaxes to rip out of her mate? And they hadn't even marked each other yet. There was no way Bella could think they were done.

"For the love of all-" Bella broke off with a gasp as she felt Zafrina press her pelvis against Bella's center. "I just want to look at you, Zafrina."

Oh. Feeling sheepish, Zafrina let go of Bella. The newborn turned with a roll of her eyes, then gave her mate a fond smile when Zafrina sheepishly scratched the back of her head. Then Zafrina looked up, meeting Bella's gaze, and Bella felt herself getting lost in the intensity of Zafrina's eyes. Damn it, Zafrina had to know what she was doing.

"Isabella," Zafrina breathed, leaning in and placing a hand on each side of Bella's hips. "I can't. I actually get to…"

 _You can't what? You actually get to what?_ Bella was able to think with clear frustration, now that Zafrina broke eye contact so she could kiss Bella's neck. "We so...you still have a long way to go when it comes to...we need to work on your verbal...communication…" Bella mumbled, now unable to think straight for a different reason. Desperation and hunger rose in the newborn, unable to focus on coherent thought, until only one word remained in her head:

 _Mine._

Tangling her hands in Zafrina's hair, Bella jerked Zafrina's head upwards, capturing Zafrina's mouth in a heated, hungry kiss. Zafrina let out a sound, half purr-half growl, as she returned the kiss with a fervor. Unable to control herself, she clutched hard at the bank of the river, causing the ground to break and crumble under her hands.

Once again, they returned to their lovemaking. Bella's arms and legs ended up wrapped around Zafrina, as she could do nothing else. For some reason, Zafrina was so insistent about pleasuring Bella that Bella hadn't been allowed to bring Zafrina to her own climax even once. And with Zafrina's fingers buried inside of her, it was pretty hard to fight back.

This time when Bella came, she sank her teeth hard into Zafrina's neck, unable to help herself. The surge of pleasure that came with the bite was only eclipsed when Zafrina bit Bella's neck in return. The act of marking the other wasn't just sexual; it filled Bella with peace, belonging. Like she didn't just know that this was where she belonged, that Zafrina was more than just her home.

With the exchange of bites, Bella felt her entire world shift. Zafrina was her world, the keeper of her heart. The missing part of her soul. And now, Bella couldn't imagine an hour going by without Zafrina by her side.

 _Safe. Mine. Love. Home. Mate. Heart._ The feelings almost became too much for the newborn, and Zafrina wasn't having any less trouble. When they finally removed their teeth from the flesh of their mate, Zafrina pulled Bella tightly against her, burying her face in Bella's neck. Bella held her, stroking her back, calming her. If Bella had felt like the emotions the bite brought had nearly been too much, Zafrina had to have been on emotional overload. In fact, it almost appeared that her mate was trembling.

"Mine," Zafrina mumbled into Bella's neck, tightening her grip.

"Mm hmm," Bella hummed in agreement, kissing Zafrina's head.

It took a few more moments, but Zafrina managed to pull herself together. She pulled away enough to stare into Bella's eyes, need still dancing behind them. Sadly, while Bella was able to fight the pull to drown herself in Zafrina's gaze, it was enough to keep Bella thoroughly distracted.

Realizing that Zafrina had said something, Bella looked away, hoping to regain her bearings so that she could actually understand Zafrina's words. But Bella would be damned if Zafrina didn't capture her by the chin and make their eyes meet again.

"Why do you keep doing that? Look at me, Isabella."

"I can't!" Bella exclaimed in exasperation, closing her eyes. "Every time I make eye contact with you, I lose the ability to think."

Zafrina frowned in confusion, not quite understanding. Why would her gaze do that to her mate, especially as a vampire? With a mental shrug, Zafrina decided to try and figure it out later. "You don't need to think," Zafrina said, pulling Bella in for a kiss. Then another, and another. Soon they were drowning in each other, and they were quick to pick up right where they left off. And this time, Bella got to pleasure Zafrina just as much as Zafrina got to pleasure her. To say it was explosive would be an understatement.

* * *

It could have been hours, or even days that had passed, but both Zafrina and Bella realized that they should probably get dressed and go back to Kachiri and Senna. While the two Amazons had been kind and respectful, not even stopping by to check on them or remind Bella and Zafrina that they did exist, they had clearly left the two newly mated vampires alone to fuck each others' brains out.

So there they stood next to the Amazon River. Zafrina was pouting slightly, as Bella hadn't let Zafrina grope her during the five minutes it had taken to dry off and get dressed. Bella took a few seconds to cheer Zafrina up and remind her that the whole reason Bella wouldn't let Zafrina grope her was so they could actually be productive and not end up fucking again right there on the ground.

Zafrina soon cheered up, but insisted on taking Bella's hand and walking at a slow human pace back to their camp. Bella couldn't help but laugh, but also complied. She was still in complete bliss, and even moved closer to press up against Zafrina's side, desiring the contact of her mate's body against her own.

Zafrina, a little bewildered from the sudden change of no touching at all to nearly full body contact, carefully put her arm around Bella's waist and started to lead her through the forest. To Bella's extreme amusement, Zafrina was so focused on Bella, that she wasn't paying attention to where she was going and nearly tripped on several occasions.

As they got closer to their camp, the wind shifted, and Bella frowned. There was quite a few other scents mixed in with Kachiri's and Senna's, scents that got her instincts bristling and alarm bells going off in her head. Worried for the safety of her coven mates, Bella started to break out into a run, only to be dragged back by Zafrina.

"What? Why are you stopping me?" Bella demanded, turning to glare at Zafrina's lips. Her incredibly gorgeous, kissable lips...lips that were nearly as distracting as Zafrina's eyes...damn it Swan, concentrate! "Those are vampire scents! Kachiri and Senna might be in danger." She didn't question how she knew they were definitely the scents of other vampires, seeing as she had only scented her mate and the other two Amazons. The other scents were a lot...tamer, somehow. Clean, almost sterile. It didn't feel like the vampires belonging to those scents belonged in the Amazon at all. But instead of questioning why these vampires were in Amazon territory, all she could worry about were Kachiri, Senna, and now, she felt worry for her mate too. Protective instincts flaring, she wanted to rush in and kill the other vampires before Zafrina could even get close so that Zafrina couldn't put herself in any danger. Had Zafrina not had such a tight death grip on her hand, Bella would have gone through with her plan too. She would do anything to protect her family, her mate.

"Isabella," Zafrina spoke, clear pain and stress in her voice. The emotions Bella heard was enough to make Bella look up into Zafrina's eyes, and this time, she could focus. The turmoil and fear in those eyes easily cancelled out whatever spell Zafrina's gaze usually put Bella under.

"What? What is it?" Bella demanded, reaching up to take Zafrina's face in her hands, panic welling in her chest. Surely Zafrina wasn't fearing for their safety too, right? Sure, Bella scented quite a number of them, but Zafrina was strong. She could already feel it; Zafrina was a lot stronger than those vampires waiting for them.

Searching Zafrina's gaze, it was then that Bella realized something else; Zafrina _knew_ these vampires.

"You're _my_ mate," Zafrina said in a soft voice, putting her hands on Bella's hips. She pulled Bella tightly against her body, kissing the newborn deeply, showing Bella how much Zafrina felt for her with just her lips. Pulling back, Zafrina rested her forehead against Bella's. "I love you."

"I know. And I love you too. More than anything," Bella whispered, caressing Zafrina's face. Then she glanced towards the camp. "Kachiri...Senna…"

Leaning down, Zafrina said one last thing to her mate, her voice pleading. "Stay with me."

"Always," Bella said. And despite her confusion over Zafrina's emotional state, as well as her sudden fear, Bella meant it. Already, she couldn't imagine living a moment without Zafrina. Couldn't imagine a day going by without being in Zafrina's arms. Without kissing her, telling Zafrina how much she loved her. Their bond might be new, but it was strong. Stronger than anything Bella could imagine.

Despite knowing their bond, sensing it, Zafrina couldn't help but worry. She couldn't help it, not with what they were about to face. At that moment, she hated herself. Hated feeling so weak and vulnerable. Not even her sisters had seen her in such a pathetic state, and that made Zafrina feel even worse. Made her worry that Bella would see her as weak and think less of her for it.

However, the look in Bella's eyes said otherwise. Not only did her mate's eyes shine with love, but there was no judgement there, no fear. Bella felt just as strongly for Zafrina as Zafrina did for her, and that love was unwavering. At that moment, when Zafrina felt at her weakest, at her most unsure, Isabella was there to feed her strength and love. To give a silent promise that no matter what happened, they would always be together.

Taking an unnecessary breath, Zafrina nodded. Before heading to camp, Zafrina entwined their fingers, holding on tightly. Bella kissed the back of her hand, and then they started walking towards the camp. Towards _them._

Zafrina was so sure of their bond, she knew nothing would break it. That caused the fears and worries to ebb, those emotions replaced with anger. No, not anger. Absolute fury.

Her face taking on a stoic mask, Zafrina marched forward with Bella at her side. She was going to make them pay.

They entered the clearing, causing Bella to freeze and gasp with shock. Every vampire suddenly turned to them, all eyes wide with disbelief save for Kachiri and Senna. Zafrina's two sisters, just as stoic as Zafrina, simply gauged their coven leader's mood then prepared themselves for what was about to happen. They would fight, attack, even kill, despite who these vampires once were to them.

Zafrina hardly noticed any of this. Instead, her eyes were fixated on a particular bronze haired male, internally seething at the emotions openly displayed on his face. The boy stepped forward, one hand outstretched towards Zafrina's mate.

"Bella?" he whispered, his voice a mix of awe and agony.

Already, Zafrina wanted to kill him.


	14. Chapter 14

_Author's Note: Hey guys, I know it's been forever, but hopefully a double upload will make up for it. I swear, I'm trying to update everything, but it'll take a while. Thanks for your patience._

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Chapter 14

"Bella," Edward repeated, taking a step towards the brunette.

Immediately, Kachiri and Senna were between them, crouched to attack as they let out twin hisses in warning. Zafrina also started to move in front of Bella, only for the newborn to instead back up into Zafrina's arms, seeking the comfort only her mate's embrace could bring. Even though she loved Zafrina more than anything, more than she thought she had ever loved Edward, seeing the family that had abandoned her still felt like someone had turned her undead heart into a pincushion.

Sensing her mate's need for reassurance, instead of challenging Edward, Zafrina wrapped her arms around her mate from behind, nuzzling Bella's neck and kissing it in reassurance. It made Edward snarl, which made Zafrina look up from her mate, pinning Edward with a glare as she growled right back.

"Watch yourself, boy," Zafrina spoke softly, but everyone could hear it as clearly as if she had spoken right in their ear. They could also hear the lethal threat in her voice, and knew they had to tread carefully. Even Edward couldn't bring himself to reply, or even hiss at Zafrina, despite the fact that she was still holding Bella.

"My apologies, Zafrina. We had heard that Bella had disappeared around here and simply wanted to find her. When we saw her, now a vampire, and, well…" Carlisle trailed off, hesitant about finishing the sentence. So instead, he skipped over it, saying, "We were simply taken by surprise."

It was hard for Bella not to roll her eyes. In fact, it was hard for her not to launch herself at Edward and rip the life out of him. Not only was she hurt that _now_ of all times they had decided to show up, but that they actually were acting like they cared. Like they hadn't left Bella all alone without a word. If Zafrina hadn't been here, hadn't been holding her, Bella wouldn't have been able to keep calm. However, she didn't have much restraint beyond that, so she didn't say a word. Instead, she clung to Zafrina and focused on keeping her body still.

"You're not exactly welcome here," Kachiri said, straightening from her crouch along with her mate. "We heard what you and your coven did to Isabella, and none of us are happy about this. Especially Zafrina."

"We did what was best for her!" Edward declared hotly, his eyes darkening with anger. "She needed to be protected from us. We put her in too much danger."

"So you left her. You left a human who knew your secret alone, angry, heartbroken, and lost. And you didn't even have second thoughts?" Kachiri asked. Senna wrapped an arm around Kachiri, trying to keep her calm. Neither even dared glance back at Zafrina, knowing just how furious their coven leader was at the Cullens' very presence. Even with all of their years as vampires, the restraint Zafrina was showing just now was amazing, and they didn't dare risk it by having Zafrina speak.

The Cullens all looked stunned and nervous, some even looked dumbstruck like the idea never even occurred to them. But some, like Alice, Esme, and Emmett, seemed upset by the events, like they hadn't wanted any of this to happen, and that's what stopped Kachiri from simply telling them to leave. That, and the fact that their new sister might want to extract a pound or ten of flesh in retribution for what they had done to her.

"We have made a mistake," Carlisle admitted, albeit reluctantly as he nodded his head. "But we love her. She's like a daughter to me, and as we are here, I think it is clear that we couldn't stay away."

Bella felt her upper lip lift in a snarl of disgust at Carlisle's words. They had come here, to the Amazon Rainforest, to search for her? They had to have known how long she had been missing, and the chances of finding her alive, unless they were stupidly optimistic. So what Carlisle really seemed to mean was that they couldn't stay away knowing Bella was dead. Did they have some kind of hopes of recovering her dead body and giving it to Charlie, as if that would make up for what they had done to her?

It sounded like an incredibly stupid idea to her, but honestly, that was the only possible option. It wasn't like they honestly expected to find Bella unharmed in this forest after having gotten lost with two experienced guides. And if they knew the Amazons well enough, they couldn't have expected them to have left Bella alive. It was only a mix of luck and destiny that made Zafrina recognize Bella as her mate in the first place.

It was her own thoughts that caused a well of fury in the newborn, one that even Zafrina's embrace couldn't soothe. And that caused Bella to snap.

With a snarl, she attempted to lunge at the Cullens, but Zafrina held her back, tightening her grip around her furious mate. Not because she didn't want Bella to hurt those who had hurt her, but because if Bella attacked, the Cullens would defend themselves, and Zafrina wasn't about to risk her mate getting hurt.

All of the Cullens stared at Bella, wide eyed and shell shocked. None could believe that the once docile, sweet brunette had become such an angry beast and would actually try to attack them. Jasper, however, was quick to jump into action and tried to calm everyone, especially Bella and Zafrina, down. _Tried_ being the operative word, as his ability had no effect on all four of the Amazons, three of which were not just wise and experienced from all their years as vampires, but simply too worked up for it to work on.

"Calm, mate," Zafrina whispered in Bella's ear, causing Edward to hiss and crouch as if he would attack her.

"She isn't yours! Bella is mine!" he snarled, attempting to lunge at Zafrina. Only for Kachiri and Senna to intercept even before any of the other Cullens could react, taking him to the ground with Kachiri grabbing him by the neck, one knee pinning one of his arms, the other pinning his chest. Senna grabbed his face, one leg across his hips, her other hand holding his other arm down. All it would take is one pull from both of them, and his head would be ripped right off.

Bella, who had begun to settle with Zafrina's words, began to struggle again, Edward's words serving to infuriate her further and drive her to go in for the kill. It took all of Zafrina's strength to hang onto her as she looked up, meeting a horrified Carlisle's eyes.

"One reason. Give us one," Zafrina told his, her voice deadly calm.

Knowing Carlisle would be confused, Kachiri and Senna both twisted their hands, just a little, but more than enough to make the flesh of Edward's neck crack and start to separate. The vampire let out a howl and tried to struggle, to protect himself, but neither seemed to notice. Instead, they also stared up at Carlisle as Esme cried out in pain and dismay at what they were doing to her son.

"Give us one reason not to sever our ties with you and kill Edward for what he has done to our leader's mate, and for what he had just tried to do to our leader," Kachiri clarified, her tone just as dangerous as Zafrina's.

"Please, we can discuss this civilly," Carlisle tried to plead, but it was clear that he wasn't getting anywhere with any of them. "Edward believed he was doing what was best for Bella, what was necessary to keep her safe. And we all believed, as Bella was his mate, that he knew what was best."

"Except he isn't her mate!" Zafrina snarled. "Isabella is mine!"

"Shut up, Edward!" Alice snapped a second before Edward opened his mouth to protest. She then focused her attention on Bella, who had finally started to calm once again, still in Zafrina's embrace. And Alice was heartbroken, not at her best friend's fury, but knowing that she and her family had done this to her. "I had always seen Bella happy as a vampire, and I believed that Edward was the reason. Clearly, I was wrong."

Bella finally calmed, Alice and Zafrina's words piercing through the haze of rage in her brain. That's right, they were wrong. All of the Cullens were wrong. Bella's existence was meant to be entwined with Zafrina's from the beginning, and the Cullens were only a way for Bella to have gotten to where she was now.

Of course, she still wanted to make Edward pay for what he had done to her, for how he had left her, broken and alone in a forest much more isolating than the one she was in now. But a blind attack on Edward wasn't the way to do it.

"We still see no reason. You must pay," Zafrina hissed. While a large part of her was relieved her mate was no longer in so much emotional pain that she lost control, she was still angry herself. She needed them to suffer for what they had done, regardless of how brainless their actions were.

Absently, Bella ran her fingers along Zafrina's arms, distracting the coven leader. Eyes now at half mast, Zafrina gazed down at the reason for her existence and stroked Bella's bare stomach, making the newborn purr and lean back into Zafrina. Neither knew it, but they had effectively shut out the world around them, soothing each other as they focused solely on each other.

That was soon interrupted by Edward's roar of rage as the wind shifted, and he caught a sniff of not just their mingled scents, but their spent passion. Knowing they had sex had pushed him over the boiling point, and even his family's cries of him to calm down and not upset them couldn't stop him from trying to get up and rip Zafrina apart.

However, suddenly losing both arms did, and he froze in disbelief as Kachiri and Senna casually tossed his limbs into the forest on either side of them.

"Next time, it's his head," Kachiri told the Cullens, and it was clear this was no idle threat, even before they shifted on top of the vampire so that they could hold the rest of Edward down.

Esme looked ready to cry as she looked between Bella in Zafrina's arms, now glaring at the bronze haired male, and her first son. None of the other Cullens knew what to say for a long moment, although many thought Edward deserved it. While their thoughts about Edward did nothing to keep the vampire in question cool, he didn't move or even bare his teeth in his anger. And he wouldn't, so long as Kachiri and Senna kept him pinned. But just in case, Jasper focused his power on Edward, keeping him compliant.

"Emmett, Jasper, retrieve Edward's arms," Carlisle told the two males softly. Both nodded before separating from the group to do as told, both keeping a wary eye on the Amazons in case they would attack. None of the four moved, although Kachiri and Senna watched the two males as Zafrina and Bella kept their eyes on the remaining Cullens.

"Carlisle, do you have nothing to say?" Kachiri asked, sensing the prod from Zafrina, even as she kept her eyes on Jasper. "Do you, too, see no reason as to why Edward should be allowed to live?"

"Of course not," Carlisle spoke hastily as Esme sobbed. "I simply wish to make sure we do not make the situation and our bonds any worse."

"It's a little too late for that," Rosalie muttered, only to get shushed by Esme. But it was clear from brief eye contact with Alice that they were in agreement.

Jasper and Emmett returned to Carlisle with Edward's arms, which they both held loosely in one hand and not with the care of brothers. Nobody seemed to notice or care about this as Carlisle stepped forward, his hands out pleadingly. He stopped immediately when all four Amazons hissed at him.

"Please, Zafrina. We've all been friends for so long," he said, trying to reason with her. His eyes moved to Bella, but at the intense glare he received from the red eyed newborn and hiss he received from Zafrina, he quickly focused back on the coven leader. "I do not want our friendship to be hurt by this, and I want to make up for what we have done to Bella. But I cannot stand by and let you kill my son. There has to be another way."

Zafrina tightened her grip on Bella, which caused the newborn to look up at her, more worried about her mate's emotional state than the fate of the Cullens. Zafrina looked down at her, before giving Bella a quick kiss of reassurance. Bella focused back on the Cullens, and Zafrina rested her chin on Bella's head.

"And if there isn't?" Zafrina asked, her voice as cold as ice.

She stared into Carlisle's eyes, and the answer was clear. If Edward's life was on the line, the Cullens would go to war.


	15. Chapter 15

_Author's Note: Hey guys, so I finally managed to finish this chapter. But as I've said so many times before, the writer's block is still killing me. I know it sounds weird, but hearing funny and weird stories actually helps me write more, so if any of you guys feel like sending me a PM of something funny or weird and helping me out, that would be awesome. As always, thanks for the support and patience._

* * *

Chapter 15

"Oh, hell no!" Rosalie snapped, breaking up the staring match between the two coven leaders. "I don't know what you're thinking, but I can tell it isn't good, Carlisle. I'm not risking my life and Emmett's because Edward fucked up!"

"Rosalie," Esme started as she glanced uneasily at the Amazon Coven, not wanting to fight in front of them.

"No, Esme, I'm sorry. You know I love you, and I'd do almost anything for this family, but I won't do this." Rosalie turned from Esme to look over at Bella. "Bella, I might have been cruel to you all this time, but that doesn't mean I want your life to be fucked up. If this is what you want, a life with the Amazons, I say go for it. I'm not going to fight just to take away your choices, not when that's what I've wanted for you since the beginning." Rosalie gave Zafrina a once over and added, "Besides, you could do worse." Taking Emmett's hand, Rosalie turned away from a clearly surprised Bella, as if she was about to leave with her mate. But Edward's voice made her pause.

"No! Bella's mine," Edward all but yelled, taking a step towards where Bella stood, only to be stopped by Senna and Kachiri jumping forward into a crouch, hissing at him. He wisely stopped, gazing at Bella with agony. "Bella, please, they had to have messed with your mind somehow."

"Edward!" Esme gasped, in shock about the accusation he shot at their longtime friends.

Alice put a hand on Esme's arm in comfort as she warned Edward not to do anything stupid, showing all the gruesome ways his life would end if he didn't tread carefully. Besides the fact that those futures faded out of possibility, Edward didn't give Alice any sign that he heard her.

"Tread carefully, boy," Zafrina warned softly, putting her hands on Bella's arms, rubbing them to try and calm Bella after she had stiffened at Edward's accusation.

"Bella, love," Edward continued, making Bella tense once more, so that even Zafrina's touch couldn't completely calm her. "Think about all we have-"

"Oh, I've been thinking about it, alright," Bella growled lowly. "I remember what we had, and let me just tell you, while the old human me thought we had some perfect romance going on, the other me, the me I've become since I met Zafrina, realized the truth. The truth is that what we had was a manipulative, near abusive relationship. How you kept everything from me, how you never gave me any real choices, and then, the way you left me...it was just cruel, Edward. But Zafrina has been amazing, and even though she clearly had no idea what she was doing half the time, she still made it clear she loved me, and she lets me actually have an opinion. She showed me just how fucked our relationship was, and how much luckier I am to have her, and I couldn't be happier with her."

Nobody spoke for a moment, stunned silent. Even Zafrina was stunned, although she felt her heart swelling at Bella's words.

Edward was, of course, the first to speak.

"Love, you know that isn't true, I-"

"Oh, for the love of-" Rosalie started to mutter under her breath, but as it turned out, she didn't have to be the one to shut Edward up.

"Enough, Edward," Carlisle said, cutting his son off. He sighed, pushing a hand through his hair in frustration. While before Carlisle had been sure that he would have to fight to get his son's mate back, Bella's words and clear made it clear that even if they somehow won, she'd most likely kill Edward the first chance she got. "She clearly doesn't want you. I'm afraid that, if we were to push things…"

"No. No! She loves me! They had to have done something to her-"

"Edward!" Alice interrupted, clearly upset, and Jasper immediately started sending out calming waves to everyone.

"What about me?" Edward continued, his voice calm now, but just as urgent. "What about your old, human life? What about Charlie?"

The mention of Bella's father was a low blow, and Edward had to have known that. Bella all but started to shake with the desire to destroy something as her emotions swelled, but she managed to keep a hold of herself. Instead of the destruction a part of her screamed to cause, she settled for glaring at Edward and hissing, "I'm a vampire now. I can't go back to that life, and I don't want to."

"Leave. Now," Zafrina added, getting furious over how much Edward was upsetting her mate.

"By that, she means that you should leave her territory this very instant, and you'll be lucky if you're ever allowed to come back," Kachiri clarified, never taking her gaze off of the Cullens.

"Bella…" Carlisle, Esme, and Edward all started to say at once, but Zafrina and Bella's combined roar immediately shut them up.

"Right," Carlisle said as he cleared his throat, composing himself. "We'll be leaving now."

"But Carlisle-" Edward started to protest, only to be cut off by Alice.

"Enough, Edward. Nothing you're going to do is going to change anything," Alice said, bringing up all visions involving Bella to the forefront of her mind for Edward to see. "I made a mistake when I saw her as a vampire, and I'll take responsibility for that. But you have to move on. Okay?"

Edward scowled as Alice's visions bombarded his mind. He gave one last dark look at the Amazons, all ready to fight the Cullens because of Bella, before turning away.

 _This isn't over,_ he swore to himself, before taking off.

"Oh, Edward…" Esme murmured, a heartbroken look in her eyes. That look was not just for Edward, however. It was also there for Bella, the daughter she had lost for such a stupid reason. She showed that look to Bella, who only wrapped Zafrina's arms tighter around her middle and looked away. Knowing that she might never be forgiven, she also took off, hoping to at least ease the grief of her oldest son.

Carlisle shifted awkwardly as Emmett, Rosalie, Alice, and Jasper all stayed where they were. As coven leader, he couldn't exactly leave his family behind to follow his mate and Edward. He had to be the last one to go to make sure nothing else happened.

Jasper, who had been busy grimacing as he was hit with so many strong emotions, was able to relax just enough that he could use his power. He sent out a wave of calm to everyone left over, just in case they might attack, and started to say, "Bella, about your birthday...I'm sorry for my loss of control."

Zafrina tensed and gave Jasper a silent snarl at the mention of the event that caused her mate to be hurt, but Bella stroked her arms, calming her down.

"Don't, Jasper. You don't have to apologize for what happened that day. The only thing any of you should be apologizing for was leaving me behind like that. Although I have to admit, if it weren't for that, I never would have ended up here." At the mention of her current situation, she sent Zafrina an adoring glance which made it clear that Zafrina was more than a lover; she was the center of Bella's world. Zafrina gazed back at Bella with a possessive, fiery love that made it impossible for Bella to look away. She fell into Zafrina's quickly darkening eyes, losing herself completely.

That is until Alice cleared her throat, knowing that Bella would have ended up staring for hours if she did it.

Even then, Zafrina was the one to look over first with a low growl, and it was only when the coven leader broke eye contact with her mate that Bella managed to get a hold of herself and manage to look back at the Cullens.

"We are sorry, Bella. We shouldn't have let Edward tell us what to do like that. But I am happy you found who you were truly meant to be with," Alice told Bella sincerely.

"Alice, you were my best friend. Yet you didn't even try to visit me until you knew I had disappeared," Bella said, her eyes hardening as Alice grew even more upset. "Your apology is noted, but I don't think I'll ever be able to forgive any of you. After all, each of you led me to believe that I was a part of your family, and then you threw me away. Well, save for Rosalie. She's the one I'm least mad at, as she's the one who made her opinion clear since the start."

"Bellsy…"

"Stop, please. I'm done talking. I just want you all to leave already," Bella interrupted, purposely looking away from Emmett. She felt emotionally drained, to the point she was amazed she was able to keep her composure, or even stay upright. All she wanted to do was curl up in Zafrina's arms and cuddle for a day or two.

"Leave," Zafrina growled, sensing her mate's emotional state and wanting to abide by Bella's wishes.

Rosalie gazed at Bella for a long moment, clearly wanting to say something, but she chose not to. Emmett wasn't so restrained, and if it weren't for Rosalie putting her hand on Emmett's shoulder, he would have said something, most likely something stupid, out of his love for who he thought would one day be his little sister.

"Alright, let's go. We cannot stay here any longer," Carlisle said at last, and with that, the Cullens all left without another word spoken to the Amazons. No words would help the situation, after all. Instead, all they could do was hope that one day, most likely many years, even centuries, in the future they might be allowed back to visit so they could mend the broken bonds between their family and Bella.

The Amazons waited in stoic silence, none of them even twitching as they all strained their senses to keep tracking the Cullens. It was only when they knew the Cullens were well out of their territory that the silence was broken by Bella, who let out a deep breath she hadn't realized she had been holding.

"I'm sorry for all the drama and stress I brought to you guys," Bella said to the Amazons as a whole, but then turned in Zafrina's arms. Twining her own arms around Zafrina's neck, Bella rested her head on her mate's shoulder. "You restrained yourself amazingly well, by the way," Bella added with a soft smile.

"No trouble at all. Anything for you," Zafrina swore, holding her mate as close as possible.

"They're gone now," Kachiri added, reaching out to her own mate, who immediately pulled Kachiri into her arms. "But we would like to keep watch just a little bit longer. I don't trust that oldest boy of theirs."

Bella grimaced at the mention of Edward and started to pull out of Zafrina's hold. Zafrina clearly didn't like that, if her annoyed growl was any indication, but Bella felt bad. "I'm sorry. I should-"

"No, there's no need to apologize," Kachiri replied, both she and Senna giving Bella warm smiles. "And this is something we want to do. You should take this moment to relax with Zafrina. We insist."

Zafrina calmed as Bella settled back into her arms, although not without another unsure look shot at the other couple of the coven. "Okay, if you say so," Bella said. And while she wouldn't outright admit it, just being held by her mate was something she really, if not desperately, needed.

"We do," Kachiri said, and then she and Senna took off.

Once they were alone, Bella turned back to Zafrina, absently twining her fingers in the back of Zafrina's hair. "So…" Bella started, biting her lip in a bout of nervousness. "Are you up to cuddling with me for a few hours or…?"

In response, Zafrina took hold of Bella's chin. Lifting the newborn's face, she kissed her lightly, with so much gentleness it made Bella's insides melt.

"Yes. For as long as we need, Isabella," Zafrina breathed against Bella's lips, then gave Bella a second kiss.

Before things could get too heated, Bella pulled away and took one of Zafrina's hands in hers. They walked over to a large tree, which they easily scaled, and settled into one of the branches.

Then, just like they had done so many times when Bella was human, Zafrina pulled Bella onto her lap and held her.


	16. End Note

Author's Note: Hey guys, so I feel like this is pretty much the end of the story. I might create another someday as a follow up with what Edward tries to do, but as of now, I don't really see much of a reason to. Thanks for all of the support and love I received throughout this story and my others, and hopefully you don't hate me too much for this kind of ending.


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